KANSAI YAMAMOTO TOKYO POP SUIT 1973

"This different approach and philosophy towards aesthetics and design is now commonly known as ‘婆娑羅’ BASARA meaning ‘excessive and over the top’. In an interview with the Asahi newspaper, he states ‘My aesthetic is similar to that of the Toshogu temple in Nikko; vibrant and powerful, the polar opposite of Japanese culture. This is why I want people around the world to see that there is a different face to our country, a much more extravagant and energetic side."https://gatamagazine.com/articles/fashion/kansai-yamamoto-and-basara-the-act-of-not-caringnbsp

The piece was created for David Bowies Aladdin Sane Tour, and instantly became a timeless icon. the suit was captured Herb Ritts in a 1989, with bowie posing in piece, and clearly reflected both Eastern and Western cultures up in fashion and art. Bowie was hugely attracted to Kansai's work due to his love for Japanese style, which lead to Kansai becoming the first designer to create a Bowie stage costume. These consisted of widely cut and printed Kimono, extravagant silhouettes and suits made out of synthetic shiny materials. He gained inspiration for his saturated patterns & exaggerated silhouettes from the Momoyama period of Japanese art, along with vibrant costumes of Kabuki theatre, which mainly consisted of kimonos, which created large bold silhouettes, and classic manga illustrations, which are cartoon or comic like. hHis work was a colourful, and vibrant distraction from terrorism, economic strife, the Yom Kippur & Vietnam Wars, and the crooked politicians of Watergate.

I think there is a clear playfulness and energy reflected in his work, through the abstract and dynamic shapes and silhouettes , with the white lines on the black, creating almost the appearance of an optical illusion. I think the shape is incredibly powerful and bold, and is so simple yet effective. I would like to take inspiration for this when creating silhouettes I often feel I play it too safe when i create pieces, and would like to become more adventurous within the silhouette, I think in lots of my work i focus more on the material and texture, and do need to start exploring silhouette more, to create more bold unique pieces.

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