Creative Fashion Designs by Kansai Yamamoto in the Early 1970s – Design You Trust

Creative Fashion Designs by Kansai Yamamoto in the Early 1970s

Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto (February 8, 1944 – July 21, 2020) was a fixture of the 1970s and ’80s fashion scene, and his avant-garde kimonos gained popularity thanks to one big-name fan: David Bowie.

h/t: vintag.es

Yamamoto’s floaty womenswear creations helped cement Bowie’s androgynous look during his Ziggy Stardust tour, and a long-term relationship was born. “Color is like the oxygen we are both breathing in the same space,” Kansai once said of his work with Bowie.

Kansai opened his first boutique in Tokyo in 1968 and eventually expanded worldwide. His collections debuted in the United States in 1971 at Hess’s in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a department store known for its controversial fashion shows of American and European styles selected for their potential to influence ready-to-wear clothing designs.

That same year Kansai became the first Japanese designer to show in London, where his clothing was seen by David Bowie; Bowie later commissioned Kansai to create the wardrobe for his Ziggy Stardust stage persona. The designer was again featured in Hess’s showing of Asian trendsetting fashions for fall/winter 1973 at One World Trade Center in New York. All of the Kansai ensembles on view in this gallery were modeled at the New York event; several were shown earlier in London.





If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Beehive Hairdo: The Women’s Popular Hairstyle Throughout the 1960s
Amazing Rare Photographs of The Romanovs’ Final Ball In Color, St Petersburg, Russia 1903
No One Knows Who Took These Superb Hand-Colored Albumen Prints Of Japan In The 1890s
BePic.net - Your Source to HD Inspirations
Makeup Artist Turns Her Lips Into Cute Pop Culture Characters
This Family Has Been Creating Beautiful Ice Trees Every Christmas, for Over 60 Years
Someone Just Made An Epic ‘Game Of Thrones’ Lamp
Retro And Futuristic Illustrations By James Gilleard
Photographer Paul Huf Captured Amazing Fashion Photoshoot In The Soviet Union In 1965
'The Ring' Doughnut And 'Game Of Thrones' Cake: Introducing Lou Lou P And Her Incr-Edible Food Art
Giant Skeletons Emerge From A Street In Mexico City
The Goblins Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out – 1920s Nightmare Fuel
Joyful Illustrations of the Artist Who Misses Soviet Days
1969 Chevrolet Astro III Concept
This Mug Is Designed To Keep Your Drink Hotter Longer And Hold A Doughnut
The Best Creations Of 2019 Texas SandFest And Facepalming Lincoln Is The Winner
Russian Designers Make The First DIY Anti-Coronavirus Cardboard Mask With A Replaceable Filter
Polish Craftsman Creates Amazing Household Items With A Folk Twist
Become A Poop Art Picasso Japan’s PooPaint Toilet Paper
Isosceles: Unique Female Lingerie Inspired By Geometry And Architecture
An Artist Has Created A Giant Mosaic Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles Depicting Vincent Van Gogh’s Famous Painting 'The Starry Night'
Photo of the Day: Rolling Fashion Show Goes Underground in Berlin
Guy Proposes With Engagement Ring Made From Wisdom Tooth, And His Girlfriend Loves It
Vintage Snapshots Capture People Wearing Sleazy T-Shirts With Profane Slogans In The 1970s