#acrossjapancuration

Ma is the Japanese word for the space between two structural parts. In a fashion context it refers to the space between the garment and the body, from the shoulders to the feet. Contrary to the West, where clothing is traditionally close-fitting like a second skin, Japan creates an extra dimension, which is liberating. Just think of a kimono. Characteristics like oversized, straight cut, gender neutrality, and blurred boundaries between men and women can all be related to an interpretation of ma. Good examples can be found in the looks of Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Delpozo and Maison Margiela. 

Kawaii refers to the erotic, cute and surprising elements typical of cool Japanese fashion since the 1990s. After about 2000, kawaii was no longer an exclusive characteristic of streetwear; now it's an important source of inspiration for ‘high couture’ both for Japanese and western designers like Undercover, Westwood, Bernhard Wilhelm and for up-and-coming talent like Niels Peeraer.  

Gi-jutsu means technology or technique. Japanese clothing has traditionally excelled at technical ingenuity, the unique use of materials and special paint techniques. In this part of the exhibition, we show contemporary examples of technological virtuosity, a love of materials and fabrics, colourful prints, exceptional paint techniques like tie-dyeing, revolutionary construction techniques like origami, etc. These are all elements that are inseparable from the final shape of the garment. Very representative for this part are the techno couture looks by Watanabe, Iris van Herpen, Hishinuma as well as those by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.

In a first part we show the influence of Japanese fashion and aesthetics on western fashion through the centuries. Our story starts around 1850, when Japan opens up to international trade after a long period of isolation. It ends about 1980 with the noteworthy advent of Yamamoto and Kawakubo in Paris. One of the first products of the cross-fertilization between Japan and the West is the Yokohama robe, a kind of dressing gown made exclusively for the western market during the last decades of the nineteenth century.

The new curator of Europeana Fashion Tumblr is Fashion Museum Hasselt. The curation discloses the five themes of the exhibition Across Japan, opening on March 4 and lasting until September 3, 2017. The exhibition shows the wonderful cross-fertilization between Japanese and western fashion. Fascinating innovations by Japanese avant-garde designers and their younger colleagues and western interpretations of ‘Japanese’ aesthetics are the core of Across Japan. Emphasis is placed on fashions created in the last 35 years, but the exhibition also pays attention to the historical context. After all, western interest in Japan goes back to the 17th century.