Extinction: On August 11, he died in Tokyo at the age of 96. He marked fashion with his taste in architectural and floral creations and by building a bridge between East and West.
He brought nature to life through his works. This Thursday, August 18, Japan’s Kyodo news agency confirmed the death of designer Hanae Mori at the age of 96 in Tokyo on August 11 at her home. Founder of a leading fashion house in the 1980s and 90s, he conquered international fashion with his floral creations that combined cuts from the West with patterns from the East. At its peak in 1980, his group was valued at $500 million and had sales of over $100 million. The sign of his power: the newspaper Times The same year from Tokyo said that “the name Hanae Mori has become synonymous with women’s clothing in Japan, as Toyota is synonymous with automobiles.” She was also the first Japanese woman to have the protected and controlled title of haute couture in 1977.
Meeting with Gabrielle Chanel
Hanae Mori was born on January 8, 1926 in troubled times in Mukachi in southeastern Japan. His father is a surgeon and his mother is a housewife. “We were the only ones in my hometown who dressed western,” he explained in 1996, speaking about his childhood. She married Kenzo Mori, heir to a textile manufacturer, in 1947 and decided to resume her studies. She studied design and in 1951 opened a sewing workshop in a Tokyo shopping center opposite a movie theater. An opportunity for him, because the producer notices him and pushes him. he creates hundreds of costumes for films such as: Early autumn By Yasujiro Ozu and Farewell to the summer light 1950-60s.
However, it was his meeting with Gabrielle Chanel in 1960 that would be foundational. During the fitting, the French designer offered her a bright orange outfit to contrast with her dark black hair. And this is how the aesthetics of his brand is born, according to him. “The whole Japanese concept of beauty is based on disguise (…). I suddenly realized that I had to change my approach and make clothes that help women stand out,” she explains.
“Madame Butterfly”
Seascapes, prints, calligraphy, Japanese flower prints… The key ingredients for his success were already present at his first Paris show in 1977. It also coincides with his first presentation abroad on the subject in New York. “East”-“West” match. In Paris, he parades a succession of “Japanese” dresses, but also models with more “Western” cuts and patterns, such as off-the-shoulder suits. And all this under the label “high fashion”. She was the first Japanese woman to be inducted into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 1977 and was almost an exception to the other, mostly male, models of her time. The seasons featured sculptural cocktail dresses, dresses that played on sheer, but also her famous “butterfly” motif, which earned her the nickname “Miss Butterfly”. He even designed the costumes for the opera in 1985 Madame Butterfly which is presented at La Scala in Milan.
Against his Japanese counterparts Issey Miyake, for whom he paved the way, or even Rei Kawakubo, Miss Butterfly offers less radical fashion, but no less revolutionary. “I can’t force women to wear kimono, but I can create a kimono atmosphere,” he explains. This is the essence of her fashion: to build a dialogue between Western culture and Japanese culture so that all women can be there. His international clients testify, including Empress Masako, whose wedding dress he designed, or even Grace Kelly, Caroline of Monaco or Hillary Clinton. In 2004, she signed her last show under her name and greeted the audience surrounded by dresses embroidered with butterflies. A flying finale.
Source: Le Figaro
