Yamamoto hopes to spark sensual fashion revival in Japan

By Lars Nicolaysen Apr 15, 2010, 5:40 GMT

Tokyo - His fans have waited a long time for Yohji Yamamoto to make his catwalk return in Tokyo and greet it with sustained applause.

'Forgive me for having forgotten Japan,' Yamamoto tells the 3,000 Japanese who have come to the Yoyogi National Stadium on this spring evening. It has been 19 years since the 66-year-old last showed a collection in his native Tokyo but the internationally famous fashion designer is back with high goals.

'Men's fashion in Japan is suffering. I am hoping to light a spark,' says Yamamoto, who although he has captured Japan and Japanese style so perfectly over the years, describes himself as a tailor rather than a creator of fashion.

'Japan has changed an awful lot in the last 19 years,' he explains.

Today, the fashion industry is dominated by cheap mass-produced clothing, which the Japanese dismiss as 'Fast Fashion.'

'Clothing is now consumed, nobody seems to live it anymore,' says Yamamoto. 'That is a situation we have to change or else fashion will disappear from Japan.'

More than most, Yamamoto is aware of the perilous state of Japan's fashion industry. His Tokyo business Yohji Yamamoto Inc 2009 was forced to go into liquidation and has had to be restructured after its takeover by a Japanese investment firm.

Despite his experiences, Yamamoto is not afraid of the challenge from cheap mass-produced clothing lines. 'I simply think: 'Go to hell.''

Yamamoto's return to the catwalk in his hometown comes at a time when the luxury fashion branch hopes the global crisis is at an end and an upswing is on its way.

The designer hopes to bring happiness into his shows with the use of Japanese children's songs while his models smile at their audience as well as flirting and making jokes. The atmosphere in the hall is as relaxed as Yamamoto's creations.

Black, white and grey creations which capture Yamamato's Japanese roots dominate the show. He drapes, wraps and ties the material but still manages to present abstract silhouettes and models, which are notably asymmetrical and appear loose and without form.

The artist wants to give his compatriots the same type of encouragement as the country's post-World War II children's songs did.

'I am Japanese and have forgotten Japan for the last 20 years,' says Yamamato, who now wants to make amends.

Naturally, his involvement is also business related but unlike the growth markets of China and Hong Kong where new shops are in the pipeline, Yamamoto has no such plans for Japan.

For Yamamoto, whose fashion creations are still produced in Japan, it is about the future of his country. The United States is a world leader in IT while Taiwan and other Asian countries dominate the semi-conductor industry. But where does this leave Japan?

'The principle of beauty,' answers Yamamoto. 'Perhaps we shouldn't waste so much effort trying to stay an economic powerhouse and instead use our energy in other ways.'

For Yamamoto, it is all about sensuality. 'Let's turn Japan into a country that oozes sensuality and is respected for it,' he says.