Japan Fashion Now

Steele Valerie

Scholars have long acknowledged the significance of the Japanese 'fashion revolution' of the 1980s, when avant-garde designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons introduced a radically new conception of fashion. But what has happened in the years since then? Lavishly illustrated, "Japan Fashion Now" will be the first book to explore how Japanese fashion has evolved in recent years. During this time, Japanese pop culture has swept the world, as young people everywhere read manga, watch anime, and play video games. Japan has had a profound impact on global culture, often via new media. With essays by Valerie Steele ("Is Japan Still the Future?"), Patricia Mears ("Fashion Revolution"), Hiroshi Narumi ("Japanese Street Style"), and Yuniya Kawamura ("Japanese Fashion Subcultures"), "Japan Fashion Now" will explore how the world of fashion has been transformed by contemporary Japanese visual culture.

About the Author

Valerie Steele is chief curator and acting director of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her previous books include "The Corset: A Cultural History", "50 Years of Fashion: New Look to Now" and (with John S. Major) "China Chic: East Meets West", all published by Yale University Press.

Reviews

"Much more than a straightforward 'look book', this work features four well-integrated academic essays. Together they provide insights into fashion subcultures and successfully argue that Japan remains a significant player in the world of cutting-edge fashion design" – C. Donaldson, Choice

"This is a detailed and densely informative book; its breadth is ambitious with an interesting combination of theoretical approaches" – Zelina Garland, Costume

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