Pioneering Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, who garnered international acclaim for her “East meets West”-themed designs, died at her home in Tokyo on Aug. 11, her office said. She was 96.
The fashion pioneer, known for her butterfly motifs, became the first Japanese to be listed as an official “haute couture” designer in Paris in 1977. Mori presented her collections for decades in Japan and abroad until she was retired in 2004.
Mori’s career included designing a white dress for Japanese Empress Masako that was worn during her marriage to Emperor Naruhito’s wedding celebrations in 1993. He also created costumes for hundreds of Japanese films in the 1950s and, in later years, for Noh and Kabuki theater.
Fashion designer Hanae Mori (center right) walks the runway during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in July 2004 in Paris, France. (Gamma-Rapho/Getty/Kyodo)
Attracting attention for his works that fuse traditional Japanese kimono with dresses, Mori designed uniforms, such as various editions for Japan Airlines stewardesses and the official outfit worn by the Japanese team during the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. .
Born in Shimane Prefecture in western Japan in 1926, Mori moved to Tokyo with her family and graduated from Tokyo Women’s Christian University.
The file photo taken in June 1993 shows then-Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako at the Imperial Palace, with Princess Masako in a dress designed by Hanae Mori. (Photo courtesy of the Imperial Household Agency)(Kyodo)
After opening her first workshop, Hiyoshiya, as a dressmaker in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo in 1951, held her first overseas fashion show in New York in 1965.
In 2002, Mori’s namesake brand went bankrupt with more than 10 billion yen ($74 million) in debt. Later, she dedicated herself to designing haute couture clothes, before doing her last fashion show in Paris in 2004.
The file photo taken at Tokyo’s Orchard Hall in 2002 shows a woman dressed in Hanae Mori’s signature butterfly-patterned outfit. The world-famous fashion designer died on August 11, 2022 at her home in Tokyo at the age of 96. (kyodo) ==kyodo
Even after retiring from the forefront of the fashion business, Mori created costumes for operas in the 2010s.
She became the first female member of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives in 1986. She received the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese government in 1988, an honor given to those who have made contributions to academic and artistic development.
In 2002, Mori received the Legion of Honor, France’s most prestigious decoration, at the rank of officer.
File photo taken on July 25, 1992 shows Japanese athletes wearing uniforms designed by Hanae Mori during the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games. Mori died on August 11, 2022 at her home in Tokyo at the age of 96. (kyodo) ==kyodo
“She was a pioneer of fashion in Japan. At a time when the industry had not been established, she shaped what it meant to work as a designer,” said fashion researcher and curator Akiko Fukai.
“Being the first Japanese to be listed as a haute couture designer in Paris, the highest peak in the world of fashion, means that she was recognized on the world stage. She has made a big mark.”
Mori’s granddaughters Izumi Mori and Hikari Mori are fashion models in Japan.
The photo taken in 2015 shows fashion designer Hanae Mori speaking during an event in Shimane Prefecture. (kyodo)
Source: english.kyodonews.net