Fashion Designers

This section has a number of profiles of people who have established themselves in the international fashion world. The number of profiles was getting so big that the page was becoming unwieldy. So, I've created separate pages for each designer. The names and pictures below should help you find the person you're looking for.

Japanese design first made a real impression on the fashion world back in 1982, when some 12 designers showed their collections in Paris at the pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) shows. Today's famous names, such as Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons and Hanae Mori were not new but the collective works of the 'mode Japonaise' or 'Japonaiserie' movement made a big impact on contemporary fashion. Their use of inventive shapes and monochrome tones, particularly the use of black, shook the fashion industry. In the years since, only a few prominent names, such as Keita Maruyama have been added to this established list. These days, it's street fashion that's leading the way and young Japanese are as hip as their contemporaries anywhere in the world. But the established designers still play a big part in setting the trends for world fashion.