Street and sub-cultural
styles – from the
elegant and bizarre
costumes called
Kamikaze suits
worn by members of
Japan’s notorious Speed
Tribes to this year’s
Forest Girl
look – will occupy the
third platform. The
significance of
kawaii (cute)
culture in Japan, which
will be debated at the
museum’s annual Fashion
Symposium held on
November 4-5, 2010, will
be demonstrated by the
hyper-cute
Princess Decoration
style and famous Lolita
brands such as
Angelic Pretty
and Baby, the
Stars Shine Bright
(the latter featured in
the cult movie
Kamikaze Girls), as
well as Gothic Lolita
fashions by brands such
as Alice Auaa
and
Black Peace Now.
Hirooka Naoto,
the designer behind
h.NAOTO,
Japan’s most successful
Gothic-Punk-Lolita
fashion empire (who has
said, “I aim to be the
most extreme and
scandalous brand in the
world”) will be
prominently featured. A
highlight of the
exhibition will be the
clothes he designed for
idol singers
Hangry and Angry.
Extreme, even fanatical,
attention to detail is
characteristic of much
of the best Japanese
fashion. While some
designers are drawn to
novelty, others focus on
the perfection of
vernacular garments,
including work wear and
denim. “Utility
products,” including
denim and footwear by
Hiroki Nakamura of
visvim,
along with jeans and
vintage-style military
and leather jackets by
brands such as
Buzz Rickson
(creator of the William
Gibson collection),
Freewheelers,
and Mastermind,
will be featured in the
street style section.
Finally, the clothing
category known as
Cosplay
(short for “Costume
Play”) will be featured
on the fourth platform.
Not really fashion,
Cosplay is more a type
of performance art,
associated with
anime and manga.
Examples will include
outfits for the
characters Madame Red
and Oscar (the latter
from the famous manga
Rose of Versailles),
as well as one of
today’s popular catmaid
uniform
Japan Fashion Now
is being designed by
Charles B. Froom, with
graphic design by Jen
Pressley of MIRRORNYC.
Additional assistance
will be provided by
Assistant Professor of
Communication Design C.J.
Yeh
and the FIT Media Design
Club.
Japan Fashion Now
has been generously
sponsored by Yagi Tsusho
Limited,
a global marketing and
merchandising company
specializing in fashion
that has been
introducing excellent
brands from Europe and
the U.S. to the Japanese
market for more than 60
years, MONCLER and
MACKINTOSH among the
most recent.
Book
A lavishly illustrated
book, also called
Japan
Fashion Now,
will be published by
Yale University Press,
with essays by Valerie
Steele (“Is Japan Still
the Future?”); Patricia
Mears, deputy director
of The Museum at FIT
(“Fashion Revolution”);
Hiroshi Narumi,
associate professor at
Kyoto University of Art
and Design (“Japanese
Street Style”); and Dr.
Yuniya Kawamura,
associate professor of
Sociology at FIT
(“Japanese Fashion
Subcultures”). Proceeds
from the book go to the
Fashion Institute of
Technology.
Events
The exhibition will be
accompanied by a wide
range of public
programs, including
gallery tours and a
Lolita tea party, all of
which will be part of
the museum’s Fashion
Culture series. The
Museum at FIT will hold
its annual Fashion
Symposium on November
4-5, 2010, on the
subject of Japanese
fashion.
Internationally
recognized scholars will
speak on such topics as
the significance of
cuteness in Japanese
culture, the schoolgirl
uniform, and the spread
of Gothic and Lolita
fashions throughout East
Asia. For a program of
events, call 212
217.4585 or email
museuminfo@fitnyc.edu.
A Fashion Museum
The Museum at FIT is the
only museum in New York
City dedicated to the
art of fashion. Best
known for its innovative
and award-winning
exhibitions, which have
been described by
Roberta Smith in The
New York Times as
“ravishing,” the museum
has a collection of more
than 50,000 garments and
accessories dating from
the 18th century to the
present. Like other
fashion museums, such as
the Musée de la Mode,
the Mode Museum, and the
Museo de la Moda, The
Museum at FIT collects,
conserves, documents,
exhibits, and interprets
fashion. The museum’s
mission is to advance
knowledge of fashion
through exhibitions,
publications, and public
programs. Visit
www.fitnyc.edu/museum.
The museum is part of
the Fashion Institute of
Technology (FIT), a
college of art and
design, business and
technology that educates
more than 10,000
students annually. FIT
is a college of the
State University of New
York (SUNY) and offers
more than 46 majors
leading to the AAS, BFA,
BS, MA, MFA, and MPS
degrees. Visit
www.fitnyc.edu.
The Couture Council is a
membership group of
fashion enthusiasts that
helps support the
exhibitions and programs
of The Museum at FIT.
The Couture Council
Award for Artistry of
Fashion is given to a
selected designer at a
benefit luncheon held
every September. For
information on the
Couture Council, call
212 217.4532 or email
Couturecouncil@fitnyc.edu.
Museum Hours
Tuesday-Friday – noon-8
pm
Saturday –10 am-5 pm
Closed Sunday, Monday,
and legal holidays
Admission is free and
open to the public.