Comme des Garçons, Jacket with Skirt, “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body” collection, Spring-Summer 1997. Nylon/polyurethane stretch gingham with padding. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection.
DENVER - Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design, 1980s–90s, shows work by Japanese designers who started a fashion revolution in Paris. The exhibition features 70 looks by powerhouse designers Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Kansai Yamamoto, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, and Junya Watanabe, whose impact on fashion still resonates today.
Works on view illustrate concepts such as the intersection of tradition and modernity; the influence of pop-culture motifs; molding the body versus hiding the body with oversized shapes; reinventing the traditional Western representation of femininity; collaborations between contemporary artists and fashion designers; and other diverse ways of challenging the fashion system.
Issey Miyake, Jacket with Transformable Bustle and Asymmetric Skirt, Autumn-Winter 1986 collection. Japanese ikat-printed cotton. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection
Emphasizing these elements, the exhibition demonstrates how Japanese designers confronted the work of European designers (such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Anne-Marie Beretta, Azzedine Alaïa, and Thierry Mugler) during the 1980s, while they inspired younger European designers (such as Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, John Galliano, and Dries Van Noten) in the 1990s.
Shock Wave is the inaugural exhibition organized by Florence Müller, the Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Curator of Fashion, who joined the museum in 2015. It includes 20 recent acquisitions for the DAM’s collection and also spotlights important loans from the fashion collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, as well as from local and national private lenders.
On View through May 28, 2017.
Kansai Yamamoto, Jacket, about 1980. Cotton jersey printed with a graphic including the brand name Kansai. Denver Art Museum, Neusteter Textile Collection.
Comme des Garçons, Jacket and Skirt, Autumn–Winter 1994–1995 collection. Felted wool. Denver Art Museum: Neusteter Textile Collection.
Issey Miyake taking his bow at the end of his spring 1980 fashion show. His models surround him, several wearing the iconic bust he created for his winter 1980–81 collection. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré.
Kansai Yamamoto in the company of the famous Asian model, Sayoko, at a party. Her dramatic flair is typical of Kansai's flamboyant style. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré
Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons, backstage at her spring 1986 fashion show wearing her own iconic style: a loose-fitting black ensemble and flat shoes. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré
Kenzo Takada enjoying a moment backstage with his models at the end of a fashion show in 1986. This collection was inspired by the western cowgirl style. Photograph by Jean-Luce Huré. ©Jean-Luce Huré
Kansai Coat, Spring–Summer 1991 collection. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau
Junya Watanabe Ensembles, Spring–Summer 2000 collection. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau
Comme des Garçons Ensemble, Spring–Summer 1997 collection, “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body”. Photo by Guy Marineau. Photo © Guy Marineau
Yohji Yamamoto Suit, Autumn–Winter 1993–1994 collection. Guy Marineau photo. Photo © Guy Marineau