"White is the absence of colour, but black is the presence of all colours" -Yohji Yamamoto

     Japanese fashion design has left a big impression on dress and attitudes towards it over the last 30 years.

Barbican hosts the first exhibition in Europe telling the story of contemporary Japanese fashion with designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakudo and Issey Miyake at the forefront of this revolutionary movement. 

'Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion' explores in depth, 'the unique sensibility of Japanese design, and its sense of beauty embodied in clothing'. [1] Organized by The Barbican and the Kyoto Costume Institute, the exhibition features video presentations, specialist publications and items not seen in any other collections worldwide.

I entered the exhibition space not knowing quite what to expect. I found myself confronted with a minimal setting divided by immaculate, floating muslin sheets, perfect for displaying the often intricate and colourful creations. The journey started with early Yamamoto deconstruction. Progressing through to 'Flatness' and the creation of 'Ma', the space between the wearer and the clothes, delightfully illustrated by Issey Miyake's 'Pleats Please' and Rei Kawakubo. The ground floor expands into sections named, Praise of Shadows, Tradition, Innovation and Cool Japan, whilst the upper level hosts individual spaces dedicated to each designer. Video projections are also shown throughout the exhibition showing rare and fascinating footage of fashion shows and short documentaries.

                                

                              

Kate Bush, Head of Art Galleries, Barbican Centre, said: "The great Japanese designers – Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto – changed fashion forever in the 1980s. The tight silhouettes of Western couture were jettisoned for new fluid shapes. Out went the magnificent ornament and extravagant techniques of the post-war tradition and in came a stark, monochrome palette and an entirely new decorative language – holes, rips, frays and tears – emerging from the stuff of fabric itself."[2]

These clothes really need to be examined in the flesh to be fully appreciated making this exhibition a must see for any design enthusiast. This is an influencing and inspiring exhibition which left me little bit starstruck...

          

All event information can be found at the Barbican website:

http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=10771

[1] http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=10771
[2]http://pichaus.com/design-fashion-barbican-exhibitions-@77bf44e25e8b662829108635a90c5231/
All images, Google

GIVENCHY @ No. 28

     New Givenchy boutique opens at 28 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. Store reflects the modern vision of Givenchy, designed by architect Jamie Fobert in collaboration with Riccardo Tisci, head designer of Givenchy collections. Fobert says, "Riccardo and I share a passion for contemporary art. From the beginning, our dialogue centered on an art-based approach to design".[1] 

The shop floor is divided into five pods, illustrating the Givenchy story and creating personal shopping spaces in which to display the clothing. The room sized boxes differ in design, featuring signature elements of Givenchy's history. One interior is decorated with the same white plaster moulding as is found in the couture salon on the Avenue George V, another in contrast, sculpted in grey plaster capturing the urban, functional tone of recent collections. 

"Together we experimented with materials, looking for surfaces and textures to alter perceptions and trigger memories that would be contemporary but emerge with a subtle romanticism" [2] Fobert is familiar to induvidual shopping environments, designing one of the six salons of Selfridges shoe room. Tisci admits, " I wanted the design to look as much as possible like an art gallery"[3] The, sometimes minimal space provides the perfect showcase to experience and appreciate Tisci's darkly romantic designs. But for the time being, a gallery is all this boutique can be to me, unfortunately. 

[1], [2], [3], Quotes from Givenchy New Boutique Press Release.

All photograps http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f81/shop-design-displays-5425-40.htm