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COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyrighted and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Please include the following information in your citation: Name of author Year of publication, in brackets Title of thesis, in italics Type of degree (e.g. D. Phil.; Ph.D.; M.Sc.; M.A. or M.Ed. …etc.) Name of the University Website Date, accessed Example Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za (Accessed: Date). UNIVERSITY --OF-- JOHANNESBURG A Study of Miyake, Kawakubo and Yamamoto: Identifying their Success Factors as Revolutionary and Innovative Designers since the 1980s By SANDHYA LALLOO-MORAR Submitted in fulfilment for the requirement of the degree MAGISTER TECHNOLOGIAE: FASHION In the Department of Fashion Design Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: Mrs D Smal Co-Supervisor: Dr K Ramdass 2012 ~c:~ JOHANNESBURG DECLARATION I Sandhya Lalloo-Morar hereby declare that the dissertation submitted for the Magister Technologiae: Fashion to the University of Johannesburg, apart from the help recognized, is my own work and has not previously been submitted to another university or institution of higher education for a degree. SIGNATURE ,t i dartU(J.(~ ,Ztl/3 ·······················0················ DATE ii DEDICATION To all who find beauty in all things Japanese iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research document is the culmination of years of research not only in terms of reviewing written material, but of trying to understand a different culture with different traditions. I've always been mesmerised by Japanese design and this research study has taught me to further appreciate how a very sophisticated aesthetic could become an inherent part of daily living. J respectfully acknowledge and thank my supervisor Mrs Desiree Smal, head of department at the University of Johannesburg, for giving me important suggestions and devoting precious time to reading and commenting on my research. Thank you for your continued support in guiding me down this winding path. My appreciation goes to Dr Kem Ramdass, my co-supervisor, for his constructive comments. To Glenda Hutchinson and Carol Lavelle, senior lecturers at the University of Johannesburg: I am grateful for sharing your knowledge on new insights and your books from your personal libraries. I also thank the University of Johannesburg for granting me bursaries for two years of my study. I have appreciated the wonderful encouragement and enthusiasm of my family and friends throughout this process. To my father: thank you for allowing me to choose my own path. Thank you to my mother who called continually to check on my well being, and to my brother who constantly coaxed me to complete my study. I would like to give my biggest thank you to my husband, Hitesh, without whom completing this task would have been very difficult and the journey very lonely. Your guidance, patience and the numerous hours you have spent critically reading my documents and challenging my thoughts over the years has made me less scattered and more focused. I am deeply grateful and for that I give my love and thanks. iv ABSTRACT This is a study of the principal factors that have sustained the success of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo in innovative design from the 1980s to the present day. While fame is often fickle, these designers have continued to innovate and push the boundaries of design over the past three decades. As a consequence of the above they are viewed as revolutionary designers. Although there is a significant amount of evidence to account for their global acclaim in the 1980s, there is very limited information that clearly explains the factors contributing to their success as revolutionary designers. This research study focusses on discovering why these designers are regarded as revolutionary and understanding exactly what elements make them different to others. Its further aim is to extrapolate new design techniques that could be used by South African fashion designers. This study is grounded within a qualitative research paradigm. Research design and data collection methods have been selected accordingly. An in-depth analysis of literature was conducted in order to provide a theoretical grounding for the study. In order to construct the findings of the study an interpretative approach was taken. Two research instruments were used. First, a literature survey aimed at assisting in clarifying the central issues and sub-themes of the focus of the study. Second, a visual content analysis aimed at performing a comparative analysis of selected past and present garment collections by the three Japanese designers. The data was analysed using semiotics: the study of signs denoted by a signifier and the element that it signifies. This study focused on five key signifiers that form the basis of fashion design. By analysing the commonalities and differences of the five key signifiers the research findings conclude that the three Japanese designers rejected the structured designs of the prevailing European fashion in the '80s. The Japanese designers used clothes as a medium to convey new shapes. Miyake, Yamamoto and Kawakubo challenged Western definitions of beauty by deforming the natural shape of the human body, and v introduced unisex clothing. The Japanese designers created deconstructed, unfinished clothing with deliberately aged or flawed fabrics, as design concepts. They pioneered the use of less fashionable textiles that were handmade and had a rough sewn look to them. They collaborated with textile designers and textile artists to create unique fabrics. They minimised cutting and sewing, thereby reducing waste. Yamamoto and Kawakubo popularised the colour black as a powerful and androgynous colour, and broke colour stereotypes. The research question was: what are the principal factors that sustained the success of Miyake, Yamamoto and Kawakubo in innovative design since the 1980s to the present day? The findings suggest that the answer may be that these Japanese designers not only focused on creating incremental changes, but a combination of changes to all attributes of their designs. To address the further question of what would be a way forward for designers wanting to push boundaries, the study extrapolated specific lessons and design techniques that may be used by designers to enhance their fashion design potential. Design should not be constrained by the shape of the human body. New ways of constructing clothing should be considered. Experimentation with textiles and collaboration with textile artists can lead to interesting clothing textures and finishes. However it is important to follow an educated approach to ensure a sustainable future in fashion design. The findings and recommendations of this study also provide a guide to unexplored areas for further research. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDiCATION 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IV ABSTRACT ~.~ V TABLE OF CONTENTS VII LIST OF FIGURES X LIST OF PLATES XI CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................•....•....•...................•...................•....... 1 1.2 RESEARCH RATIONALE 3 1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDy 4 1.3.1. RESEARCH QUESTION 4 1.3.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH 4 1.4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 5 1.4.1. BLENDING EAST AND WEST DESIGN 5 1.4.2. ANTI-FASHION AS A REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN PROCESS 6 1.4.3. THE COLLECTIVE EFFECT 6 1.4.4. EXOTICISING JAPAN AND POSITIONING PARIS AS THE GLOBAL FASHION CAPITAL 7 1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 8 1.6 CHAPTER BREAKDOWN 9 1.7 ENVISAGED CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDy , 10 1.8 DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 11 1.9 CONCLUSION 11 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 12 2.1 INTRODUCTION 12 2.2 RESEARCH PARADIGM 12 2.3 SAMPLING 13 2.4 DATA COLLECTION METHOD 14 2.4.1. LITERATURE REVIEW: 15 2.4.2. VISUAL CONTENT ANALYSIS: 15 2.5 DATA ANALYSIS 17 2.6 OBJECTIVITY AND VALIDITY OF THE STUDy 20 2.6.1. CREDIBILITY 20 2.6.2. TRANSFERABILITY 21 vii 2.6.3. DEPENDABILITY ..........•..............................................•.......•.......•.....•.......•....••• 21 2.6.4. CONFIRMABILITY .•.......•.....•...•.................................................•......•........•.....•.. 22 2.7 ETHiCS 22 2.8 CONCLUSION 22 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REViEW 24 3.1 INTRODUCTION ;; 24 3.2 THE FASHION LANDSCAPE OF THE 1980s 25 3.3 THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE FASHION 33 3.4 JAPANESE VERSUS EUROPEAN 35 3.5 DECONSTRUCTION AS A CONCEPT IN CLOTHING 41 3.6 AVANT-GARDE AS A CONCEPT IN FASHION 43 3.7 JAPANESE AESTHETICS 45 3.8 BLENDING EAST AND WEST 47 3.9 PARIS AS THE FASHION CAPITAL 53 3.10 USING NEW TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES 56 3.11 USE OF THE COLOUR BLACK 59 3.12 THE USE OF MEDIA 65 3.13 CONCLUSION 68 CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION OF VISUAL ANAYLSIS RESULTS 69 4.1 INTRODUCTION 69 4.2 FIT AND FORM 69 4.2.1 RESHAPING THE BODY 70 4.2.2 UNISEX CLOTHING 74 4.2.3 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS: FIT AND FORM 79 4.3 CONSTRUCTION 79 4.3.1 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS: CONSTRUCTION 89 4.4 TEXTILE AND TRIMMINGS 89 4.4.1 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS: TEXTILES AND TRIMMINGS 100 4.5 FABRiCATION 100 4.5.1 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS: FABRiCATION 107 4.6 USE OF COLOUR 107 4.6.1 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS: USE OF COLOUR 112 4.7 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS 112 4.8 CONCLUSION 117 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 118 5.1 SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS 119 5.1.1 INTRODUCTION 119 5.1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 119 5.1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW 121 viii 5.1.4 DISCUSSION OF THE VISUAL ANALYSIS FINDINGS .•...............•....•.......••....•....••.•.. 122 5.2 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 126 REFERENCES 128 ADDITIONAL READING LIST 139 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Chanel (designer), Helmut Newton (photographer), Spring/Summer collection1983.