Memories of Japan: Comme des Garçons clothing suspended in time by Kazuyo Sejima
This December marks the three year anniversary since I returned home to Toronto from my travels overseas. I lived in Tokyo, Japan and worked as an English language instructor teaching adults and children.
Living overseas, particularly in a non-Western country is quite an experience. You have to deal with many life changes, such as coping with the language barrier, social customs (the familiar and unfamiliar), food (the tasty and unusual), a new work environment and establishing a network of friends and supporters.
Japan has a population of over 127 million people and the Greater Tokyo Area is home to 39 million residents. It was my very first-time living on my own and being completely cut-off from my family and friends. Living in a densely populated city has its ups and downs; there were many moments of joy, loneliness and self-discovery oftentimes occurring simultaneously.
One of the things I absolutely adore and love about Japan is the shopping and fashion. There is no other city that pushes the boundaries of fashion both playfully and skilfully. Initially, I found the Japanese sense of style a little strange for my North American palette but I soon changed my way of thinking. While there I experimented with textures, accessories, colours and clothing – I came home with a completely new wardrobe and a dozen new pairs of shoes.
The fashion scene in Japan, from a practical and artistic standpoint, is years ahead of North America and one of the reminders I recently had of this was an exhibition currently being held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo called, Luxury in Fashion Reconsidered which examines the historical and cultural views on luxury through fashion.
Accompanying this exhibition is a special exhibit titled, Kazuyo Sejima Spatial Design for Comme des Garçons. Comme des Garçons clothing was selected from the Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) Collection and is displayed in spaces designed by architect Kazuyo Sejima.
Rei Kawakubo’s clothing floats effortlessly in what appears to be suspended animation casting a ghost-like quality on the collection. The shapes and colours of Kawakubo’s avant-garde designs are accentuated through this simple exhibit transforming it into sculptural art. It also showcases how her designs originally upset the fashion establishment when she made her debut in Paris in 1981, pushing fashion into artistic and conceptual expression changing clothing’s relationship with the body.
The merging of Sejima’s and Kawakubo’s talents makes for a cohesive and thought-provoking exhibit bringing back memories of my time in Japan.
Photos courtesy of Amelia Groom, Big in Japan.
