This week, a popular exhibition featuring Christian Dior’s creations debuts in Tokyo with a focus on the French designer’s love of Japan and the country’s effect on his designs.
“Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” arrives in Japan after drawing huge crowds in Paris, London and New York.
The exhibition, which debuts on Wednesday, includes 350 haute couture gowns, some of which are inspired by Japan and are displayed in spaces meant to honor Japanese culture.
A room covered in an undulating three-dimensional facade made of translucent traditional washi paper placed over timber frames is one of the constructions designed by architect Shohei Shigematsu.
“When Dior makes a skirt, there is a structure and then the fabric is laid on top of it,” he told AFP.
“I was asked to create a Japanese traditional structure, so I thought about that shoji screens, for example, which have a wooden structure and are covered with paper.”
Each section features a different interior design intended to show various parts of Japanese culture.
“There is a section inspired by an orderly tatami room separated by sliding doors. But not everything in Japan is simple and minimal,” he said.
“We have different designs like Japanese gardens and flashy kimonos. I wanted to show the sides of Japan people don’t know.”
The Dior house first presented a show in Japan in 1953, and the designer had a well-known fascination with the country.
“Dior had a lot of respect for traditional Japanese culture and he wrote about it in his memoir,” curator Florence Muller told AFP.
“I think there is a mutual fascination between France and Japan.”
Starting in the 1950s, Dior also collaborated with Japanese companies, giving them the rights to adapt and reproduce Dior looks to cater to local tastes.
When she wed the then-prince Akihito in 1959, Japan’s former empress Michiko selected a Dior gown made from Japanese textiles as a symbol of the brand’s popularity.
The Tokyo exhibition, which is on display until May 28, features various Japanese-inspired pieces as well as older pieces and works by more current creative directors.
Among these are robes fastened with Raf Simons’ Japanese obi-style belts and a coat by John Galliano with a print of “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” on the base of its voluminous skirt.
Dior’s austere jacket dress named “Rashomon” — the name of a Japanese novel and film directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa — is also on display.
“This exhibition shows the mutual respect between Japan and France in their approach to crafts, fashion, design and art,” said Shigematsu.
