Yoshiki: "I want people to think that the kimono can be fashionable"
By Mélody ThomasShareSend by email
I certify that I will not send spam virtuoso Piano virtuoso, hard rock drummer and now fashion designer. The Japanese artist Yoshiki intends to prove today that in fashion, as in music, boxes are obsolete.When we talk about fashion, we often tend to stop at Western fashion. Mostly out of laziness, but also, sometimes, out of disdain. An attitude that is disappearing at a time when trends are becoming uniform in all countries and when many designers and influences are managing to find a place for themselves on the international scene. It is in this fascinating context that Yoshiki, a Japanese artist with a thousand facets, decided to relaunch his brand of kimono. The man who, after having set up the hard-rock group The X Japan, having proven himself as a pianist and having created his own wine, returned this year to his family heritage with the idea of proving that the kimono does not is not just a vestige of clothing to be combined only with the past.
Break down borders
His name may be unknown to you and yet Yoshiki has 814k subscribers on his Instagram account. A success that those who know about music are far from ignoring. Because Yoshiki is the one who launched X Japan, a leading hard rock band of the 80s/90s. Basically, imagine the late Johnny Hallyday becoming a designer one day; you will have a small idea of the place that the artist occupies in Japanese culture. Last October, it was he who opened Japanese Fashion Week. A parade where fashion and music, tradition and modernity passed the ball. Under his aegis, the kimono becomes sensual, sometimes provocative without ever losing its sense of detail. “In my show, the style depends on the music. Usually a designer makes clothes and puts music on their show, but for me it's the other way around. Why not have a kimono that matches this music? The music comes first. “, he explained to us in an interview. More than the story of a musician who makes fashion, the story of Yoshiki is that of a man who proves that the term "trend" is not an antonym of "tradition". "People like to build walls. To build a wall is to feel safe. But in art, you have to destroy that kind of wall. People try to divide even in music by classifying by genre and sub- genres. Music is music. People can't define my music, we were doing hard rock and we dressed in a way that was considered feminine. When we talk about art, there is no there are no rules for me”, he confided to us.
Video of the day:Rethinking the kimono…
"I grew up in a family that sold kimonos. In Japanese culture, the son is supposed to take over the family business but I became a musician instead. I knew that one day I would produce kimonos and he Ten years ago, I had the urge in a natural way, it's in my blood, I imagine", he continues, telling us his story. From a Western point of view, the kimono is often perceived as a traditional piece and therefore not suitable for fashion, for the simple reason that fashion is considered to be cyclical, made up of trends and changes.
It is against this lazy thought that Yoshiki creates collections that combine kimono know-how and modern reinterpretation. : "I want to preserve the traditional kimono, but I like things to evolve. It's controversial, but exactly the same way I rock. I was attacked from all sides when I started… So maybe in ten years people will think it was a good idea."
...in the age of cultural appropriation
Today, there are few kimonos in the streets of the Japanese capital where Yoshiki presents his collection. It is above all Kyoto, the traditional supporter of the country, which still shows traditional kimonos. In The Social Life of Kimono, Sheila Cliffe writes: "After the boom in traditional dress a return to Japanese style has taken place in weddings, college ceremonies for the last twenty years". And we understand their appeal, so fascinating is it to see men and women walk with care in these outfits that evoke us – in the West – an era that we know little about except through the clothing translations of designers like John Galliano or Thom Browne. This year, the kimono also made a comeback under the fire of the media when Kim Kardashian had to change the name of her line of shapewear that she wanted to call Kimono. A pun on his first name which caused a huge stir to the point that today a lawyer is working to prevent the cultural appropriation of this key element of Japanese culture. Far from the sheath panties of Kim K, Yoshiki dribbles these questions and dreams of seeing the kimono become a respected object of international culture. "I want people to think the kimono can be fashionable. People are traditional or conservative in their style so I want people to think the kimono can be strong. It can be rock'n roll. Maybe that in 15 years people will come to rock concerts in kimonos," he smiles.
Read also: Expo: What Yves Saint Laurent's Dream Asia tells us about current fashionShare
