SAM presents Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion

The Seattle Art Museum highlights innovative Japanese fashion designers in new exhibit launching June 27th 

The Seattle Art Museum will unveil Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion, a must-see exhibit featuring over 80 original designs by amazing Japanese designers including Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe and Jun Takahashi. The exhibit will be on view from June 27th until September 8th, 2013 and highlight innovative Japanese design from the early 1980's to present day. The exhibit was curated by Japanese fashion historian Akiko Fukai, Director and Chief Curator of the Kyoto Costume Institute. In addition to creative displays of Japanese fashion, the exhibit will also include video elements to showcase noteworthy catwalk shows and fashion documentaries. The Seattle Art Museum is the first museum in the country to share the collection and some of the designs that will be on display have never been seen in the United States.



“Japanese fashion designers at that time developed breathtaking aesthetic positions that subsequently influenced a younger generation of Western designers including Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester and Alexander McQueen,” says Catharina Manchanda, SAM’s Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art.



The exhibit is structured in a combination of thematic and monographic sections titled 'In Praise of Shadows', 'Flatness', 'Tradition and Innovation' and 'Cool Japan'. The first section explores the Japanese designers’ interest in materials, textures and forms, and consciousness of light and shade. 'Flatness' explores the simple geometries and interplay of flatness and volume in the work of Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo. 'Tradition and Innovation' considers the radical reinvention of traditional Japanese garments and techniques, such as kimono and origami, to the technological advances in textile fabrication and treatment. 'Cool Japan' examines the symbiotic relationship between street style, popular culture and high fashion. Tickets are on sale now by visiting the Seattle Art Museum website


Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion 
June 27–September 8, 2013 
SAM Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries
1300 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
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SAM presents Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion
SAM presents Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion
Reviewed by sania
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Rating : 4.5