is one of the leaders in Japanese Contemporary fashion, in particular during the 1970s and 1980s.
Biography
Kansai was
born in 1944 in Yokohama, Japan
.
After
studying civil engineering and
English at Nippon
University
, he
completed his studies at the Bunka College of Fashion in
1967.
Among the designers with whom he apprenticed are
Junko Koshino and
Hisashi Hosono; in 1971, he opened his own
company, Yamamoto Kansai Company, Ltd., Tokyo.
His first collection
debuted in London
in 1971 and in the USA at Hess's
Department Store in Allentown,
Pennsylvania
, which was renowned for many avant-garde
colletions. His 1975 debut in
Paris
was followed by the opening of his Kansai Boutique in 1977.
In
1999, he and
Junko
Koshino renewed the
kimono, reviving
interest in this classical fashion. He is also known for his
avant-garde kimono designs, including ones worn by
David Bowie in his
Ziggy Stardust and
Alladin Sane tours.
In
1999 he organized a fashion program under
the aegis of the India-Japan Mixed Cultural Cooperation
Committee.
Since
2001, he has been known for his fashion
eyewear, sold by
Aoyama USA.
He is a recipient of the Soen prize at the Bunka College of Fashion
(1967) and the Tokyo Fashion Editors award in 1977.
In
2008, an exhibit named "Netsuki Shinten:
Kansai Genki Shugi" (or "Passionate Exhibit: The Energy Principle
of Kansai") was held at the
Edo-Tokyo Museum of Art.
In 2009, a major retrospective of Yamamoto's work was
exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
.
References
- http://www.5years.com/davidbuckley2.htm
- http://www.answers.com/topic/kansai-yamamoto
-
http://www.japanesestreets.com/reports/456/designer-kansai-shows-off
- http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/318.html
External links