“To me, design must get into real life. Otherwise, it’s just couture, it’s just extravaganza.” – Issey Miyake

 

  The historical antics of avant-garde Japanese fashion is a tale of not only riveting proportions, but of matchless appeal. Visionary designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo, are amongst many who hailed from their native Japan, to shock the fashion world in the 1970’s and 1980’s with limitless interpretations of fashion -- creating a new era of “anti-fashion” garments heavily characterized by asymmetrical lines, exaggerated silhouettes, and abstract textures. As a curator of prints for the Cincinnati Museum of Art in the late 1960’s, Mary Baskett (pictured below) acquired an adept knowledge for Asian art history, transported by her curiosity throughout various areas of Japan where a love for avant-garde fashion was instantly birthed. Throughout her travels, Baskett passionately collected these unique fashions which are now on display at the Crow Collection of Asian Art through February 22.  

  This Saturday, January 31, marks the unveiling of a day-long symposium structured as a window into the depths of contemporary Japanese fashions. Taking place at the Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Contemporary Japanese Fashion Symposium will explore the make-up of Japanese aesthetics with expert panel commentary by industry insiders, along with an ongoing dialogue on its tremendous impact on fashion history. Held in conjunction with the ongoing Mary Basket Collection Exhibition, this event will feature top industry curators, local fashion designers, and fashion professionals whose affinity for Asian Art conjures a can't-miss power play for the symposium.  

  This event will include appearances by special guest speakers: Akiko Fukai, Director and Chief Curator of The Kyoto Costume Institute; Cynthia Amneus, Chief Curator and Curator of Fashion Arts and Textiles at the Cincinnati Art Museum; Patricia Mears, Deputy Director of the Museum at FIT; and Sharon S. Eakeda, Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Moderators for the symposium include DFW Style Daily’s own Lisa Petty; Against the Grain Productions founder, Tammy Nguyen Lee; and Karin Oen, Curator at the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Fashion designer panelists include Jerry Matthews, Khanh Nguyen, Mai Pham, and Dora Yim.   For more information and tickets, visit CrowCollection.org. Images via Crow Collection on Facebook.