Influence of Culture on Japanese Fashion Industry
Japanese fashion industry is greatly influenced by traditions and culture. There ancient tradition wear is the kimono and obi. In their culture clothes were designed according to class, For example, the samurai class wore the kosode type of kimono which were tied with cords while the affluent class like kabuki wore long flowing kimonos. Although modern fashion trend keeps changing at alarming rate around the world, Japanese have maintained their designs which are based on the culture. For instance, in current Japanese wedding, all women are expected to adorn traditional kimono, this suffice the fact that culture strongly influences Japanese fashion industry (Clammer, 1995). Since 1960, the cloth designs has also been inspired by American pop culture and technology (Morimoto and Chang, 2009).
Dressedundressed is fashion industry brand that was founded in 2009 by Takeshi Kitazawa and Emiko Sato. They designed clothes, handbags and shoes which are unisex. There goal in the industry is to combine various elements into their collection and still make them a simple wear. Japanese aesthetics is based on simplicity in beauty thus their cultural heritage has greatly influenced dressed undressed designs. Also, masculine and feminine characteristics are expressed in their clothings, in that the male attire has a sense of beauty while the female one brings out a strong and independent character. The outcome of intergender combination is dual sex and neutrality in their collection. American physcho and Gattaca movies have also been a major influence in the brand.
Yoshikomono is a brand that makes Kimono, It has been influenced greatly by music culture.The brand was created by a famous Japanese rock musician known as Yoshiki. They make printed Kimonos and Obi wraps. As a rock star Yoshiki blends tradition and rock and roll music in his designs. Yoshiki was inspired by rock music culture in making his designs. Examples of another designer also influenced by music culture is Louis Vuitton.
Bedside drama are designs founded by Hiroshi Tanida and Emi Nishimoto. These designs are simple by nature and try to capture the essence of fairytales. As its name suggests, Bedside drama has majored on pajama-like looks, lounge wear, rompers, leggings and sweatshirts. These clothes are accesorized by puppets, parasols and stuffed pieces a combination which gives these designs childish and easy-going looks. The brand design was inspired by the amount of time people spend sleeping. The designers insinuate that their aim was never to distract eyes from seeing small hints. Siamese shirt dress, scarfs made from furry animals are also featured in their collections (Godart,2012).
Timespan and globolisation has impacted morden fashion industry. Although all the named brands are unique and traditional based, Yoshikomono brand is seen to be more conservative.
Dressundresses was inspired by a movie character who was portrayed as being an elite and a perfectionist. Therefore, we can conclude that pop culture also had an impact on their design. Yoshiki being a celebrity influenced her designs. Celebrities in the society are role models thus many people copy their style (Hansen, 2004). This celebrity culture has made Yokishi products to be embraced widely hence leading to mass production of the designs. Music art which was a high cultured was the greatest influence on the brand.
Related
References
Bruzzi, S.& Gibson, P. C. (2013). Fashion Cultures Revisited: Theories, Explorations and Analysis. Routledge
Godart, F. (2012). Unveiling fashion: business, culture, and identity in the most glamorous industry. Springer.
Hansen, K. T. (2004). The world in dress: Anthropological perspectives on clothing, fashion, and culture. Annual Review of Anthropology, 369-392.
Morimoto, M., & Chang, S. (2009). Western and Asian models in Japanese fashion magazine ads: The relationship with brand origins and international versus domestic magazines. Journal of International Consumer Marketing,21(3), 173-187.
Clammer, J. R. (1995). Difference and modernity: Social theory and contemporary Japanese society. Routledge.
