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 uniforms.
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.
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.
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