ways fashion has been an important aspect in japanese culture?
Posted on April 7th, 2010 by admin
my term paper for school is on how japanese culture has been changed, influenced, and formed by the world of fashion. i need ideas on anything. i’ve already got that what you wear reflects what culture you grow up in but i cant think of anything else. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!?? thanks 
Here’s some food for thought:
Hanae Mori was one of the first designers from Japan that gained western recognition. She was the first Japanese person to be accepted into Le Chambre de la Haute Couture Parisienne in 1977 abouts which is an exclusive group of designers who make finely sewn clothing. Only the best designers get in like pretty sure John Galliano of Dior is in it, also Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel and Valentino- I think but not entirely sure but this gives you an idea of the exclusivity of the group. I can’t say definitively but I’m pretty sure that she (and others probably) changed the way that Japanese saw art as a profession. I read that in Japan to be an artist was synonymous with being unemployed and that they also had a cultural attitude that anything western is better. The recognition of Hanae Mori by westerners made Japanese pay attention and realize that being an artist is more prestigious that what they originally thought. Of course I don’t think Japanese still think that anything western is better and you can even say that the opposite is true, that anything Japanese is better. Even so, their fashion is largely influenced by western clothing and it’s only recently that traditional dress has made a comeback in Japanese fashion today. They have begun to mix kimono and Japanese textiles into their predominantly western style aesthetic while maintaining a modern look.
What I would say about your question is that Japan has realized that they have the ability to make amazing fashion unlike before when everything that was traditional Japanese was being squashed in favor of anything western. The success of their fashion industry has changed the way they see themselves and their art. It has also encouraged Japanese artists.
Also, there is this really fascinating thing called "cosplay" popular with some of the young people. They dress up as their favorite comic book characters and go out in the street and act out scenes- in a certain city it is very popular, can’t remember which. I get the idea that it’s more prevalent and fundamentally different than the fringey comic book enthusiasts we have in the states.
Another thing is that, because they can manufacture cothing right in their own country, the fashions reach the streets quicker than they do elsewhere. For that reason trends hit Japan quicker and westerners often look at Japan for inspiration. Also, I even read that trends change weekly. In the U.S. we generally have our seasonal trends- like for Spring 2010 nautical and bright colors are some of the trends. In Japan trends come quicker. Of course this is mostly for the young people who spend most of their money on clothing.
They also have unique style groups which have Japanese names so I can’t remember. Kind of like how we have the goths, punk rockers and bohemians. Some young people have put together groups of people based on their shared following of a certain style- some of which are very extreme- and they will have informal fashion shows like after school. One of the styles this book talked about had the people dying their hair white and neon colors, putting a ton of self tanner on, putting black ink on their teeth and wearing Hawaiian shirts- like surfers.
To get your sources I would start with wikipedia.org (although this website should not be used as a source) and get a superficial overview of Japanese fashion- look up Japan and see if they put fashion on there. I use this when I want to get an idea of what to look for. Then take certain aspects and search elsewhere for them. For example- if it says that a certain designer has changed fashion in some way or other things like what I talked about here, you can get more information on those things on reputable online databases like ones you hopefully can access through your school library or at your local library. W magazine might be a good place or the New York Times online will probably have good articles for you.
April 7th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Here’s some food for thought:
Hanae Mori was one of the first designers from Japan that gained western recognition. She was the first Japanese person to be accepted into Le Chambre de la Haute Couture Parisienne in 1977 abouts which is an exclusive group of designers who make finely sewn clothing. Only the best designers get in like pretty sure John Galliano of Dior is in it, also Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel and Valentino- I think but not entirely sure but this gives you an idea of the exclusivity of the group. I can’t say definitively but I’m pretty sure that she (and others probably) changed the way that Japanese saw art as a profession. I read that in Japan to be an artist was synonymous with being unemployed and that they also had a cultural attitude that anything western is better. The recognition of Hanae Mori by westerners made Japanese pay attention and realize that being an artist is more prestigious that what they originally thought. Of course I don’t think Japanese still think that anything western is better and you can even say that the opposite is true, that anything Japanese is better. Even so, their fashion is largely influenced by western clothing and it’s only recently that traditional dress has made a comeback in Japanese fashion today. They have begun to mix kimono and Japanese textiles into their predominantly western style aesthetic while maintaining a modern look.
What I would say about your question is that Japan has realized that they have the ability to make amazing fashion unlike before when everything that was traditional Japanese was being squashed in favor of anything western. The success of their fashion industry has changed the way they see themselves and their art. It has also encouraged Japanese artists.
Also, there is this really fascinating thing called "cosplay" popular with some of the young people. They dress up as their favorite comic book characters and go out in the street and act out scenes- in a certain city it is very popular, can’t remember which. I get the idea that it’s more prevalent and fundamentally different than the fringey comic book enthusiasts we have in the states.
Another thing is that, because they can manufacture cothing right in their own country, the fashions reach the streets quicker than they do elsewhere. For that reason trends hit Japan quicker and westerners often look at Japan for inspiration. Also, I even read that trends change weekly. In the U.S. we generally have our seasonal trends- like for Spring 2010 nautical and bright colors are some of the trends. In Japan trends come quicker. Of course this is mostly for the young people who spend most of their money on clothing.
They also have unique style groups which have Japanese names so I can’t remember. Kind of like how we have the goths, punk rockers and bohemians. Some young people have put together groups of people based on their shared following of a certain style- some of which are very extreme- and they will have informal fashion shows like after school. One of the styles this book talked about had the people dying their hair white and neon colors, putting a ton of self tanner on, putting black ink on their teeth and wearing Hawaiian shirts- like surfers.
To get your sources I would start with wikipedia.org (although this website should not be used as a source) and get a superficial overview of Japanese fashion- look up Japan and see if they put fashion on there. I use this when I want to get an idea of what to look for. Then take certain aspects and search elsewhere for them. For example- if it says that a certain designer has changed fashion in some way or other things like what I talked about here, you can get more information on those things on reputable online databases like ones you hopefully can access through your school library or at your local library. W magazine might be a good place or the New York Times online will probably have good articles for you.
References :