Tokyo street
fashions make splash in Paris
Animation and fashion created by young Japanese artists is gaining in
popularity in Europe and the United States.
Works from a collaboration between a Japanese artist of
Tokyo street fashions and an established European fashion label are currently
on display at a Paris fashion show.
Some critics have described 21st century "Japonism"--as
it is known in Europe and the United States--as a new ray of light in a
stagnating Western fashion industry, while others see it as prompting a shift
in Japanese exports from traditional manufactures to cultural products.
Takashi Murakami, 40, known for his "otaku"
subculture works, helped to design the venue for Louis Vuitton's 2003
spring-summer collection for the Paris Collection. He surrounded the site with
11 huge balloons, which surprised the Monday afternoon audience.
The rise of Murakami's star in the art scene was reflected
by the sale of one of his sculptures, which featured a girl designed as an
animation-style character, for about 430,000 dollars at an auction in New York
in May.
Louis Vuitton asked Murakami to create its new design
featuring the letters L and V, which appeared on the fashion label's new line
of bags unveiled at Monday's show.
Murakami was recognized by some members of the audience at
the show and asked to sign autographs. "In the world of fashion there is
this kind of enthusiastic reaction that cannot be seen in the art world,"
he said.
The Cartier Foundation of Contemporary Art in Paris is
showing Murakami's collection until late October, in addition to another
exhibition of Japanese subculture as depicted in animation and toys.
Young people and parents with children have lined up to see
the exhibition since its opening.
"Japanese otaku subculture is popular even among
ordinary people. Twenty-first century Japonism based on technology and
information is greatly influencing people in Europe and the United
States," said Herve Chandes, the foundation's director.
Fashion critics also were attracted to the Tokyo street
fashions created by Japanese designers that were exhibited at the Paris
Collection.
Undercover, a collection designed by Jun Takahashi, 33, was
shown on the opening day last Wednesday. The display was watched by the
editors of major fashion magazines in Europe and the United States, an unusual
degree of scrutiny for a new designer.
"Paris is a fashion capital, so that's why I wanted to
see if I could break away from haute couture," Takahashi said.
"Japanese subculture is a mixture of many cultures,
including consumer culture, which doesn't evoke feelings of history or
grandeur. People in Europe and the United States see something new in it and
are seeking to break away from their stultifying culture," Musashino Art
University Prof. Hiroshi Kashiwagi said.
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Cultural export boom
The export of pop culture created by young Japanese artists
may revitalize the nation's struggling economy.
Tokyo-based toymaker Bandai Co. boosted its overseas sales
last fiscal year to 40.6 billion yen, up nearly 20 percent year-on-year, due
to the popularity of toys featuring animation characters such as Gundam in
Europe and the United States.
The company forecasts exports worth 45 billion yen this
fiscal year and hopes to earn half its revenues overseas in the near future.
"Biohazard," a recently released movie based on
the Japanese video game, was produced by a collaboration of British, German
and U.S. filmmakers. Another Japanese film, "Spirited Away,"
directed by Hayao Miyazaki, also has gained attention in the West
- Naohiko Takahashi
Daily
Yomiuri
Shimbun
October 2002
