Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Research Paper

First Advisor

Ria O'Foghludha

Abstract

This project is a deep sartorial analysis of Rei Kawakubo’s and Yohji Yamamoto’s designs and how they reveal the global influences that shaped the cultural identity of contemporary Japan. However, such analysis of high fashion would only be half of the identity; to fully understand Japanese cultural identity, it is equally important to delve into the sartorial phenomenon of Harajuku street fashion. While Japanese avant-garde fashion and Harajuku youth culture seem to be at opposite ends of the sartorial spectrum, the two have a closely entwined complementary relationship. Japanese high fashion and street fashion demonstrate how such cultural commodification impacts Japanese cultural identity both domestically and abroad.

Comments

WSP Major: Fashion and Culture

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