Yohji Yamamoto As A Contemporary Fashion Designer

Final Paper Name Course Professor Date abstract The practice of fashion design can be traced back to early centuries, fashion designers are inspired by their tradition, which they majorly integrate into their design practice as part of their identity. However , not much has been revealed about the designers' personal experiences in the design process.. Although fashion design vary over time because of several influential factors, contemporary designers like Yohji Yamamoto is majorly inspired by tradition, his personal experiences have had a huge impact on his creativity. Yohji Yamamoto revolutionized the western fashion world, to create self-reflection designs. Introduction. Yohji Yamamoto's effect on the world fashion for the last two years has been enormous; Yohji Yamamoto is one of the few fashion designers whose design appeals to all ages, however, not much has been revealed about his sources of inspiration. Yohji Yamamoto successfully transferred his experience in his designs to make unique concepts that differ from those of traditional fashion designers. One of the fashion mysteries is the inspiration behind the creative design displayed by fashion designers. Many people question where designers find their inspiration and what their major influence that re-ignites their fashion spirit is. With more than 30 years in the fashion world, Yohji Yamamoto has turned the fashion world upside down using his deconstructed tailored designs, making him an enigmatic Japanese designer who continues to appeal to a wider audience. Other fashion designers command headline, but not many can boast of a 30 year career like Yohji Yamamoto. His unique designs are consistent and his inward thoughts radiates in his designs to set a significant trend in the fashion world.[Russian, Anca Pia. "Japanese Design In Western Fashion The Three Japanese Designers Who Changed The Fashion World." REVERT: Specialized Review of Theory & Critique of Arts 22 (2015).] This research proposal will explore the connection between fashion design and personal experiences derived from our cultural practices focusing on Yohji Yamamoto as a contemporary fashion designer. The research will analyze how his experiences influenced his creativity, making him one of the leading fashion designers in the world. The research process aims at expanding the knowledge to understand the inspiration behind product development, especially within the global arena.The paper aim at analyzing Yamamoto unique design and answer the research question, what is the impact of cultural values of Yohji Yamamoto that makes him an avant-garde designer. Definition of Terms- the definition of "the avant-garde" from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary means an artist who produces original ideas. Research background Yohji Yamamoto’s major inspiration comes from his tradition; traditions serve as reminders of events that shape our lives. All the experiences are uniquely expressed in different forms. . Designers engage in self reflection, allowing then to be more observant, such observation produces curiosity ignites their imagination. Yohji Yamamoto unique designs are more of a self-reflection. His avant-garde designs originate from his cultural background; therefore, culture is an important determinant for successful designers.[Almond, Kevin, and Steve Swindells. "Reflections on Sculptural Thinking in Fashion Design." Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process and the Fashion Industry 8, no. 1 (2016): 44-62.] What makes Yamamoto an avant-garde designer different from traditional designers is his avant grade spirit of asymmetrical, oversized, silhouettes, black color, drapery designs. He uses the same theme and design ethic to create different clothing with no designs looking the same. All his designs are unique, expressing different emotions. His ability to go against the normal trend to create his own and successful career within the fashion industry makes him one of the renown fashion designer in the world.[Montgomery, Bruce, Gael Henry, and Anthony Brotheridge. "‘The White Shirt Project'(an exploration of the influence of geometrics and tactile knowledge in fashion pattern cutting)." International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education 9, no. 2 .2016 : 153-160.] Yamamoto's avant-garde designs vary from traditional indigenous Japanese clothing; his designs refine traditional Japanese design philosophy that value unevenness, Yamamoto's focus on human physical presence makes him an outstanding designer. Throughout the years, Yohji's design has set a significant trend by not following a popular trend his timeless elegant designs have withstood time with his lean line, quality material, and layering. His ability to create effortless design has created a lasting signature silhouette within the fashion industry. My research is significant because it unveils the elements behind Yamamoto’s innovative spirit and design; that drives him to create designs that surpass the current fashion trends. The world is becoming globally oriented and it is important to study the cultural meaning and their levels of influence in fashion design. It is important to understand how designers incorporate cultural values into their designs to develop globally acceptable clothing that appeals to people of all ages. Understanding the unique ways designers like Yohji Yamamoto use culture to shape his design shows the unique difference between designers, which is an important element for modern fashion designers to succeed in the global market. Therefore, the research will provide new insights on knowing which cultural values influence fashion designers like Yohji Yamamoto to understand the impact of his cultural values that are reflected in his designs. The research will facilitate self-reflection on the part designer and help them make adjustments when designing for the global marketplace. Review of Related Literature Fashion designers are inspired by their cultures, they use cultural experiences to produce an image or express personality that complement their clothes .Yohji Yamamoto designs are known to be radical and extreme as they represent cryptic expression about the trauma that he experienced. It’s important to analyze the root causes of his cryptic expression in his designs in order to understand how culture has an influential role in fashion design.  This research reviewed different articles that highlight the influential factors that have propelled Yamamoto to success. In an article by Cassim, Julia titled, Issues And Techniques In The Inclusive Design Of Apparel For The Active Aging Population, the author notes that Yohji Yamamoto's inspiration comes from his personal experiences. The article presents how contemporary designers have revolutionized the fashion industry by combining aesthetics and functional processes to develop desirable clothing for older people and disabled. The author notes that the modern fashion designers like Japanese Yohji Yamamoto are inspired by personal experiences to produce more inclusive designs.[Cassim, Julia. Issues and techniques in the inclusive design of apparel for the active aging population. Woodhead Publishing 2015.] [ibid] Montgomery, Bruce, Gael Henry, and Anthony Brotheridge article ‘The White Shirt Project'(An Exploration Of The Influence Of Geometrics And Tactile Knowledge In Fashion Pattern Cutting, reveals Yamamoto‘s designs that not only questions proportion, the volume, movement but also develop the affectionate understanding based on his worldview. According to the article, Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto unique designs express different sentiments. His expressive designs allow space between the garment and the body, making the wearer to inhibit the garment naturally without being restricted by its pre-determined form. According to the authors, Yamamoto‘s designs tell a visual narrative that questions proportion, the volume, movement and also develop the affectionate understanding from the designer’s perspective.[Montgomery, Bruce, Gael Henry, and Anthony Brotheridge. "‘The White Shirt Project'(an exploration of the influence of geometrics and tactile knowledge in fashion pattern cutting)." International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education 9, no. 2 .2016 : 153-160.] [Ibid] [Montgomery, Bruce, Gael Henry, and Anthony Brotheridge. "‘The White Shirt Project'(an exploration of the influence of geometrics and tactile knowledge in fashion pattern cutting)." International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education 9, no. 2 .2016 : 153-160.] Research methodology The research question that guided my fieldwork was "what impact of cultural value is important in influencing designer's creativity? This question guided my research scope, focusing on specific cultural elements that impacted on Yohji Yamamoto during his design process. The research methods include conducting a quantitative research by identifying specific fashion database with relevant articles on Yohji Yamamoto's inspirations and his personal experiences. WGSN a fashion trend forecaster database and ARTstor, a digital image library are the databases used for the research. Google scholar is also one of the useful resources used during the research. The photography analyzed during the research was retrieved from WGSN a fashion trend forecaster database and ARTstor is a digital image library. In my research, I used ethnography which entails direct observation of photography of different designs from the two databases made by Yohji Yamamoto. With the many social forces behind fashion expression, ethnography is an appropriate research method to understand how fashion designs are created and expressed to the audience. My research methodologies include reviewing articles to understand Yamamoto’s experience and his self –reflection as a designer that propelled him to fame. Research discussions My fieldwork research report included pictures of Yamamotos’ famous monochromatic black color designs During the research, black color forms part of many collections because there is a hidden meaning behind his monochromic designs . The black color represents his personal experience and the darkness inside him. Yamamoto designs are monochromatic of black color used to design carved asymmetrical oversized shaped layers of clothes. His designs tell a visual narrative, questioning quantity, the volume, and movement of body shapes and also develop the affectionate understanding from the designer's perspective. His attraction to black color seems to come from a personal tragedy that shaped his worldview. His designs are expressive; his clothes are designed in a way that gives room for the garment to freely move through the body. The body can fit into the garment naturally. Yamamoto designs are draped, enclosing the female body; he ignores the obvious body parts most designers would want to focus on a female body, shifting the attention to other body areas. This has changed how his clothes portray female bodies. Yamamoto produces elegant wo...