Japan                                                                                                                              March 2011

Wellspring of Clothing and Textile History

For many centuries Japan has offered the world a rich view of the meaning of clothing in human life and in this hour of trial and bravery for its people, we mourn their losses and express our gratitude for their gifts to the world.  With this issue, we recall the many contributions the Japanese people have brought to our field. For new generations, for those seeking inspiration and for the sheer appreciation of beauty, it is important to know where to look.  In the world view, the Japanese people  have long been a model for ingenuity and design and in this tragic month they are a model for courage and civility.   

千ご多幸を祈る   

(A thousand best wishes) 

The Heritage of the Kimono
Then & Now . . . 

Then . .  

I first began my fascination with the textile arts of Japan when I read Helen Minnich's book,Japanese Costume and the Makers of Its Elegant Tradition, 1963.  It is, to this day, the core of knowledge in English about the meaning and aesthetics of traditional Japanese clothing.  More importantly, it illustrates the difference between eastern and western thought about fashion.  Briefly, eastern fashion retains a silhouette form (the T or kimono form) and delves into vertically deeper ways in which that form can be interpreted.  Western fashion, on the other hand, 'progresses' from one silhouette to the next,laterally, accounting for our model of timely changes in fashion. Today,  fashion has become a composite of both approaches but much can be learned by studying Minnich's book about how to fully exhaust a design direction before moving on -- the antithesis of 'fast' fashion.  

And now . . .  

Each year we look forward to the fashion statements of such inherently creative designers as Watanabe, Yamamoto, Miyake and many more. They cut with intuitive sureness and eschew the pressure of seasonal trends in favor of what the cloth is telling them.  Always proportional, their focus is on revealing the secrets of cut instead of the body itself, in doing so they achieve timelessness and offer high aspirations for today's most innovative pattern designers.    

Japanese Textile Legacy
Woven & Dyed . . .
For cloth, we can thank the Living Treasures of Japan, craftspeople so expert in their crafts that they have been designated by the government as official 'keepers of the flame' in their field. They constitute nothing less than living historical reservoirs  - like a trust - for Japanese craft culture. They also serve as the 'craft memory' of Japan, imbuing younger generations with both high standards and practical knowledge. The Japanese textile legacy matches the European Renaissance in its power of design as the dye is the print is the weave -- each dancing upon the other.  From the legacy of the Tokugawa Robes to authentic indigo to today's exemplary polyesters even  -- fabric is viewed as an artistic medium, an end unto itself, instead of a fashion tool.  Nuno fabrics, left,  have made tangible for contemporary times all the creativity, philosophy and the role of textiles as an art form -- they offer us workshops, books, CD's, clothing and yardage -- wonders to behold.  Also, get the video, Basho to Spun Steel, and take a look at where it is going in the future.

Design Concepts  

Who . . . 

 H. Naoto, Daiki Suzuki, Kenzo Takada, Shingo Sato , Hanae Mori, Tsumori Chisato, Limi Feu, Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garcons, Shingo Sato, Issey Miyake 

  . . . only a few of the beautifully trained Japanese clothing designers for both men and women who live and work in Japan and abroad.
A special tribute goes to Bunka Fashion College

 and their instructors who have made it possible for us to experience their knowledge and legacy oceans away.  And, especially, I wish to give tribute to my friend, Yoshi Fredisdorf, instructor at the Illinois Institue of Art in Chicago and a graduate of Bunka College who worked for Issey Miyake for many years -- her students do amazing work!   I looked out in a classroom in Indiana one day and saw her Manta Ray piece!  Had to know her.  

To each, thank you.


At The Center

EVENTS

2011 PATTERN DESIGN TOUR 

Shingo Sato Brings TR to:

  • San Francisco, April 2 & 3 at the Hotel Rex on Sutter St. Transformational Reconstruction begins with basic garment patterns and re-cuts them into familiar 3-D forms with greater definition and impact.  The variations are endless and with each one we learn to see fashion design in a completely different way. TR can be applied to the whole garment, reaching new couture expressions -- as Mr. Sato does for major European designers -- or, they can be inserted in specific places a decorative detail.  He will offer a TR Master Class, repeating it on the second day.   For more about Shingo Sato. 
    • Chicago, April 8, 9, 10 at the Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, where there will be a Lecture/Reception the evening before the Master Classes -- AND -- a Pattern Refresher class for those who may need to brush up, only $25 -- how can you resist that!
    • Vancouver, BC, Canada, April 15, 16, 17, also with a Lecture/Reception and joined by Timo Rissanen, see next paragraph. For all events, Mr. Sato will sign copies of his new book, TR - Transformational Reconstruction.

    Timo Rissanen, Zero Waste fashion design genius, will join Mr. Sato in Vancouver for an incredible weekend of the most intriguing pattern design, offering  a Master Class also.  (Each designer will offer a repeat of his class on the second day.)  Zero Waste cutting means that the layout and the design of the pattern pieces must happen before the final garment design can be envisioned. As a result, the designs that emerge break the mold of grainline rules, print directions, light and nap effects. Mr. Rissanen's new book, Shaping Sustainable Fashion, may be found on Amazon.  Take a wonderful peek at the sustainable show, YIELD, which features several designers and some free patterns of zero & sustainable pattern designs.  

     Link to further information and registration for all Tour events and venues.       


    ZERO WASTE PATTERN:  THE ABBY JACKET by SOMA PATTERNS
     

    The Abby Jacket is is an excellent example of the efficiency and style possible by committing to Zero-Waste pattern designing.  It is printed in an easily transferable grid format, making it possible to create the design in full scale by copying the design to your 1" grid paper or baste a grid and chalk it right onto the fabric. The Abby was designed by Sylvie Privat of SOMA Patterns to fit 52" minimum width reversible fabric.  This downloadable pattern is one size, has fabric suggestions, easy construction techniques and recommends machine finished edges; it is not only Zero Waste but also fast and comfortable to wear for many different occasions and seasons.   

        

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    BALENCIAGA in DEPTH:  The Clothes, The Fabrics

    PRIVATE AM TOUR OF THE SAN FRANCISCO EXHIBITION, LUNCH, EVENING RECEPTION AND 2 DAYS OF DRAPING BALENCIAGA at California College of the Arts, San Francisco,

    May 20, 21, 22. 

    NOTE: Registration will go up April 22.

    This is a very special opportunity to delve into the pattern design and construction techniques that made Balenciaga an icon in his craft and an inspiration for the ages.  He was humble before his medium, the fabrics, and came to personify the architectural approach to apparel design. We see his work referenced in all the architectural cutters who have since succeeded him. Save the date -- going to be good!

     

    DRAPING SERIES:  ST. LAURENT'S LE SMOKING PANTSUIT, June 25, 26

    We'll do the jacket on Day 1 and pants on Day 2.  Registration will go up May 1.  This suit is immortal and the soul of chic!    

     

    JULIAN ROBERTS GOES TO EDMONTON UNIVERSITY, CANADA, October 21, 22, 23, 2011. 

    Lots more about this event coming up but -- save this date too!

     

    BOOKS

    • A Cut Above by Virginia West.  Available now in our store.

      There are some books that are simply 'sleepers'. They look innocent and charming but then you get into them, it turns out BIG IDEAS are in there -- this is one!  It's so full of great ideas for Zero Waste cutting  that I was motivated to spend 2 years trying to track her down to ask if we could reprint her earlier book, Designer Diagonals.  Found her! --  and she has agreed to reprint it which will happen this summer -- there will be a set!  She is a handweaver so she understood the bias and, in true Vionnet-like fashion, she designed all the ways one could possibly cut a garment without losing precious fabric, use the bias to gain fit and hit a high fashion level of design -- and they are all in there, lucky for us!  

    • Harry Simon's Men's Work Wear, Shirts and Underwear, from the 1920's, also coming out this summer.  This will be a set also, 2 of his books  with patterns for overalls, shorts, union suits and all sorts of occupational wear -- the barber's jacket , for example.  The details and styling are really fine -- I've already had someone who wants to put the designs into production as soon as the books are out.
    • Practical Dress Design by Mabel Erwin, 1954, the last one in the current line-up -- scheduled for fall/winter.  If you have died for a vintage dress at some point, the design is probably in there!  

    As an island, Japan has preserved its identity and presents it to the world as a great gift, enabling us to inspired, even with centuries and oceans in between.  We have not only learned how to see and wear in another way but how to preserve differences, protect Living Treasures and value what the human hand can craft. And now another lesson, we are learning how to face adversity with hope and purpose.

       

    Yasuo Nakajima, a Living Treasure, teaching indigo dyeing at Califronia College of the Arts in 2008.  He is using a resist stencil made of mulberry and single strands of human hair to make the designs appear to float unconnected to the rest of the stencil.

     

     Next Month:  I'll be out there meeting many of you in classes -- my favorite thing!  So the newsletter will be calendar oriented --planning for the summer, overview of places to visit, events, people, classes, new items.  Think Spring!            Sandra Ericson, Center for Pattern Design