An exhibition of contemporary Japanese fashion at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in Brisbane is a “must see” for appreciators of intelligent fashion and lovers of style
More than 90 garments and accessories from the famous Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan feature in the comprehensive exhibition, Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion, which has been curated by fashion historian Akiko Fukai and includes iconic garments by pioneering designers including Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto.
Early in their respective careers in the 1980s the distinctive garments of Miyake, Kawakubo and Yamamoto caused controversy and were described as avant garde because they introduced a new concept of clothing, which has since been imitated, and inspired designers worldwide.
Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion was first organised in conjunction with the Barbican Art Gallery, London and is the first major exhibition to include avant garde Japanese fashion from the early 1980s to the present.
It is split into four sections – In Praise of Shadows (exploring the use of black); Flatness (representing the reductive treatment of colour and shape); Tradition and Innovation (looks at fabric and construction); and Cool Japan (street style, popular culture and high fashion).
It includes garments, fashion objects, films and photographs that embody Japanese style and its aesthetic principles.
