The Concept of the Collection: Japanese Warrior
Introduction
Nature, the environment and the universe as a whole, provided a huge influence on mankind for a long time. It was particularly pronounced prior to the active development of technical progress. Japanese culture can be considered as one of the brightest representatives of such influence. It is a multi-faceted, surprising and unusual world of images and objects. Everything is living his own life in harmony with the surrounding space. Japanese style evolved over the centuries. Now it is an excellent example of the preservation of a constant shape in combination with the cycle of patterns and colors.
The nature of the Japanese people has always been a reference point and a higher standard of beauty, according to which they created their idea of the elegance and grace, strength and power. Ancient Japanese people treated nature as a living being that could feel and had spirit. Rocks, trees, streams – all of them have been the embodiment of the spirit and deity. That is why every natural material is important for an artist who works on it, whether it is wood, clay or silk.
Japan is a small country surrounded by water, difficult terrain and earthquakes. Limited area left an imprint on the organization of space and views in the development of Japanese art. The characteristic feature of last one is a miniature: “to see much in small”.
Japanese culture gave the world specific culture, in which samurai warriors, their customs and clothing played a major role. It has become the main line in the proposed clothes collection. The main concept of the collection is to create powerful, bold and fearless image for women with a rebellious aspect. In this case, proposed collection can be an example of clothes that play the role of shields for women to the outside world.
Discussion
Japanese Clothes Style: Brief History
It needs to analyze the history of warriors’ clothes and cults, their life in order to identify main features, which impact on the modern fashion industry and are used by different designers. Japanese national costume evolved over a thousand years. It is inherent in a complex, multi-faceted relationship pattern, shape and material, as well as the ornamentation of fabrics. At the same time, creating of own unique compositions occurred through the borrowing of foreign (Korean and Chinese) samples.
The first Japanese clothing resembled poncho intercepted by a belt. People wore several ponchos, putting on each other in the cold weather. It has become the basis for the creation of the Japanese multi-layer suit, which could consist of twelve layers of clothing. Japanese society was divided into classes that were displayed on the clothing. The types of clothing have been strictly regulated among the social classes as well as within the samurai class. Silk clothing was only the privilege of the upper classes. Farmers could only wear a loincloth and simple hemp or cotton clothes.
An indicator of samurai social status in the social structure of the feudal Japan, especially in the era Tokugawa, was his suit. Samurais were distinguished from the mass of the population by a special dress, which is allowed to wear only for a caste of warriors. The lower classes (merchants, artisans, etc.) were allowed to wear “hakama” only on rare occasions (weddings, funerals, major holidays), as an exception, and the special favor.
“Hakama” is one of the elements of the samurai clothes. At the same time, the wearing of ceremonial clothing “bushi” was forbidden for the “lower classes”. In everyday life, the samurai wore clothes, which consisted of three main parts:
the shoulder gown – kimono;
belt element – hakama;
capes with the short sleeves – haori that has a straight tailoring that kimono.
All these parts in a dark or black color can also be used as a ceremonial costume.
Casual wear of samurai consisted of several parts, which immediately set him apart from the other citizens of the empire. In addition to two traditional swords tucked into the wide belt, samurai differed by special clothes that was called “reyfuku” and consisted of:
wide trousers – hakama;
kimono with short sleeves – kosode;
another top kimono;
haori, with which samurai completed the clothing.
As it was mentioned above, wearing full samurai attire by representatives of other classes was strictly forbidden. The main reason of it was that small family coat of arms, to which samurai belonged to, was sewn on top of samurai clothing (usually haori) in five locations:
two - on the sleeves,
two - on the chest,
one - on the back.
The coat of arms was a privilege solely of representatives of high society:
the aristocracy;
the samurais.
Such detail as hakama with particular changes is used actively in the modern fashion industry. Those elements of the kit, which have ancestral coats of arms, called “montsuki” or “clothes with coats of arms”. It should be noted that even a samurai fan, divided into iron sections, served not only as a fan, but also a good weapon for a possible attack.
Greater attention must be paid to the samurai armors, which also play a significant role in some design collections of clothes and accessories. Japanese warriors used armor as an all-metal breastplates and helmets since the Yayoi period. At the same time, weapons manufacturing technology changed during the progress of iron processing as well as new armor were designed.
The heyday of the art of making armor fell to the Heian and Kamakura era. It was the time of the samurai birth. Armors have almost not changed since that time. Some changes have affected them only at the end of the Azuchi – Momoyama period, which marked the beginning of two different kinds of the samurai armors.
Warriors wore armor immediately before the battle or in special occasions. They carefully kept the armors in the place of honor during the rest time. During military campaigns armors, depending on their size, were kept in a lacquered box holding both hands, or in a special chest box.
In addition to the specific color of cords that hold the armor, other identification of samurai on the battlefield was a small flag with the coat of arms. It is called “sashimono”. Major generals put sleeveless cotton cape “dzimbaori” over armors in the special cases (for example, the beginning of the battle or visiting the embassy). The prerogative of high-ranking military leaders was a metal battle fan “gumpay” that was used to guide a battle and for self-defense.
Japanese armor differed by high mobility and the ability to use some of the individual parts. The carapace was made of metal plates, wrapped in the skin, which covered with varnish for high durability. Sometimes it was the only protection of infantrymen. The horsemen, who were always noble samurai of high rank, wore a pompous robe “erie”.
It was the subject of a special family pride. The armor parts were fastened together with silk or leather cords in order to tighten or dissolve them to the desirable size. Cords made of silk of that color that matched the colors of the traditional warrior clan.
One more important part of the samurai armor was kabuto helmet. Kabuto helmet deserves special mention as an equal basis with the armor is a real work of art and reflects the spiritual and aesthetic values of its owner. It was made from several iron plates held together in the form of a hemisphere. There was a hole for ventilation and pigtails at the top. Red paint that covered the inside of the helmet including the visor itself, should give the warrior a frightening reddish hue.
After analyzing brief history of the Japanese culture and samurai armors, it is possible to review design collections, which use some parts of the warrior clothes or colors, prints.
Related Collections
It should be noted that there was a complete reboot of the European fashion at the beginning of the twentieth century. The image of women has changed beyond recognition and will never become the same. Designer Paul Poiret, who became one of the first reformers, introduced costumes, resembling to oriental outfits. It was:
the dress - a tunic, embroidered with beads and sequins;
coat with sleeves – kimono from brocade,
silk trousers in the morning toilet.
He created silk dresses in Japanese style.
Many designers have continued to be inspired by a Japanese theme. For example, in the 1960s the American designer Rudi Gernreyh invented kimono, which was made of knitted cloth. He used samurai, sumo wrestlers, and even a Japanese school form of primary school while working on a collection of costumes.
Japanese designers have always surprised the audience with his innovation and creativity, although the concept of “Japanese fashion” did not exist for a long time. Everything has changed in the second half of the twentieth century. Such designers as Hanae Mori, Kenzo Takada, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo have become the masters of the fashion world. The passion of European fashion for Japanese designers, which has become “de rigueur”, has given rise to a new, creative fashion, denying all the old.
In the 1970s of the last century in Paris Designers Kenzo and Miyake presented viewers clothes that destroyed all notions of French and international fashion. Designers Yamamoto and Kawakubo made the same in New York in the 1980s. They shocked the public by their strange direct, geometric or completely shapeless silhouettes. It should be noted that the Japanese designers have already considered the most advanced not only in technology, but also in fashion at the end of the 1980s.
The designer Kenzo Takada has been the first, who has drawn the Japanese culture in his debut clothes collection in the 1970s. Through concise forms and various elements of kimono designer creates new kinds of clothes. Dresses-cylinders, multi tunics, jackets and elongated wide shortened pants, dresses, sweaters, blouses, kimono have initially surprised the audience, and then caused a furor.
Designer Kenzo used fabrics with floral patterns, stripes and cage materials. He refused accessories, boldly combined bright colors, which was unusual for a Parisian audience. His dresses did not have recesses and did not show the figure. The designer gave the body a freedom in such a way. Critics characterized the works Kenzo as the “new deconstruction”. Designer showed his vision of “French kimono”. He mixed colored prints and ethnic motifs.
Geometry and volume have become the hallmark of the brand Kenzo since that time. Also, Japanese style, some features of samurai clothes have been more used in the fashion industry since that time.
Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 collection can be a great example of modern clothes that combines different elements of the samurai costumes. Proenza Schouer is a fashion brand of women’s clothing and accessories that has been founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez. It is based in New York now.
This brand characterizes by high skill of designers, great attention to detail and refined simplicity of products, inspired by contemporary art and street fashion. The designers of this brand are Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough. Diversity, reasonableness, “technicality”, which designers show from collection to collection for 14 years, obviously, mean passion, excitement, enthusiasm, and zeal.
A series of boxy colored shirts, loose-fitting pleated trousers and other models have been presented during a fashion show in autumn 2012. It was a really daring show that presented new silhouettes. The proposed collection headed the East for inspiration – karate, kimonos and other elements. Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 made above mentioned models with Eastern elements as the trend of fashion.
White cottons, other stiff fabrics and leather were used for clothes from that collection. The main colors were black, navy, white and red. Some models were great examples of handwork. For example, quilted-satin varsity jackets were with pheasants, embroidered on the chest. Another example is cocktail dresses from satin with the bird embellishments. Other models were made from brocade. Long-sleeve dresses with mysterious shapes were in the center of the collection. The primary concept of the collection was consideration clothing as protection. Cotton as a main fabric for the collection was an unusual choice for a fall collection.
The masks and samurai uniforms were expressed in the leather coats. Some parts of coats were similar to the metallic quilted armors. Cocktail dresses and similar models differed by the high quantity of details and decorative elements. Obi sashes and asymmetric flounces at the hem were the perfect complement for the short dresses. Fabrics with images of birds and flowers were used to decorate the front of baseball jackets.
Thus, huge number of specific elements were used by designers in the above mentioned collection. There were different opinions about such experiment, but the common attitude was extremely positive. It was a really new trend in the fashion industry.
Fashion houses Etro and Prada repeatedly contacted the Japanese style, turning details of oriental style in the fashion trend in their collections. It should be noted that fashion shows Spring / Summer 2015 also demonstrated the relevance of Japanese motives in clothing. For example, kimono silhouettes are traced in a new collection of brand Alexander McQueen. In this case, proposed collection can be considered as quite relevant and is appropriate to the consumer demand.
Market Research
The proposed collection is directed to the high-end market. The clothes collection includes trouser suits, skirt and jacket, dresses. As we can see, the main colors of the proposed collection are black, gray, dark blue and green. These colors are perfect for city dwellers, who want to emphasize the shapes and give more expression and uniqueness to own image. Also, the fabrics for a proposed collection should be dense, but well-stretching.
The potential target audience includes women aged 20-35 years, who are characterized by a fairly high level of own income or the income of their parents. Clothes of the proposed collection can be dressed as the suites for official and business meetings and others.
Some models differ by asymmetrical lacing and stripes. The upper part of the jacket, transverse and longitudinal stripes, wide belts, shoulder bags and skirts elements, falling down from the waist to the knees a bit like the strict clothing of the Japanese warrior. Such clothes can allow women to express their powerful, bold and fearless image.
Wearing such clothes, women can show their independence and freedom in the modern world. At the same time, proposed clothes like to the shields of women to the outside world. Each woman, even the most courageous and fearless, needs care and to be protected from the dangerous outside world. In this way, proposed clothes will perfect emphasize the boldness and, at the same time, the elegance of the modern business woman. Let’s analyze the preferences of the last one in more detail.
As we know, a business suit is a kind of calling card, a means of self-presentation and positioning woman as a serious person, a high-class specialist, a professional. The image of the business woman is often used in advertising.
Such qualities as self-confidence, independence, control over the situation come to the forefront. The woman is mostly displayed in a business suit with a determined look in advertising. Age does not play a significant role in the characterization of the recipient. This may be a young girl as well as an older woman.
The visual and verbal characterizations are updated, especially strong-willed qualities of women. At the same time, work is not the only sphere of women’s interests. They also include taking care of the house and herself, her appearance. The beauty is the means to achieve success for women. It should be noted that business style is quite popular for advertising of fashionable women’s clothing.
Literature Review
According to the different scientists, Japanese culture is quite interesting in the fashion world, because Japanese art is extremely original. Japanese aesthetic tastes are quite different from the Western ones. Functionality, environmental friendliness and closeness to nature differ by higher priority for the Japanese. The most important values of Japanese society are the duty, cooperation and teamwork. An understanding of own duty to the entire nation as a whole is deeply ingrained in the minds of every Japanese.
Modern Japanese design is a fusion of Eastern and Western traditions that complement each other. Freestyle, versatility and comfort are important features of the oriental clothes. The design of these models does not deform the body and it is based on simple geometric forms. Non-finished elements, destruction of art forms, layering, creative experiments with form and style, three-dimensional models are usually characterized by Japanese designers.
Oriental style of dress is the embodiment of refined womanhood and unfailing note of mystery. Now it has become quite popular in the West. Such style differs by high comfort and convenience. The undeniable advantage of such style is the fact that it is suitable for almost any figure of a woman.
Oriental style is associated with long-necked dress, wide light pants, kimonos, saris and other outlandish outfits, in which every woman looks powerful and mysterious simultaneously. All these things are used in a modified state in the modern Western world. It is often possible to see only some of the original features of the eastern clothing. Nowadays, short dresses and skirts with special colors, strict form-fitting suits with ornaments, summer pants and skirts made of flowing fabrics are fashionable. Sometimes there are items of clothing, which only vaguely resemble the features of oriental style, including clothes of the samurai.
The twentieth century has already formulated the essence of the trend of sexual development as “equality in difference”. In other words, the relationships between the genders do not become more free or asexual, and only more flexible as well as forms of their control are.
It should be noted that world progress, insane speeds, frantic pace of life stimulate the appearance of women, who are really strong-willed, decisive, brighter people. Emancipated woman is the one, who is fully in tune with the present days, so complex and constantly changing. She is able to curb this age, which likes responsibility, bold actions, and independent conclusions. She can create a happy herself and others. This is real freedom. According to the trends of the modern world, any person must be able to build their own destiny and not to depend on someone else’s actions, opinions and attitudes.
It describes the image of an independent woman, who has appeared in different fields in recent years. In our case, wearing clothes of the proposed collection, women want to show exactly above mentioned image, to show their freedom and strength and courage equally with men. Proposed collection of the clothes transforms and presents an image of women in a completely unusual view. Such woman is active, takes masculinized position, goes away from the traditional role of wife, mother, tries to be realized as a person.
Impact on the Human Psychology
Asian wear, samurai armors and the whole Japanese culture were always something mysterious and unusual for the majority of people. Later an image of warrior transformed to the successful man, who can be a highly-qualified employee as well as husband. At the same time, the image of a woman has already been transformed to a more independent person with the masculine traits. In this case, clothes collection with parts of warrior costumes, with different shapes and masculine elements become more popular in the women fashion world.
An image of a successful man, who is a confident leader or a businessman, has already arisen in the human psychology. It was until business women, bright, proactive, energetic personalities, who do not afraid of difficulties has appeared in the vital arena. Human society is still far from stable, but a woman has more chances to take a leadership position in a stable society. The woman was turned out in a paradoxical situation in the society: the entire responsibility for the family was female, while the man was suspended of the family responsibility. Thus, women did not have opportunities to function outside the family, opportunities for business activity. Nowadays, tolerated Western model of culture becomes more popular in the world and the image of business woman becomes more usual.
Climbing the ladder of success is quite heavy and unsafe way. Business woman needs to constantly prove to ourselves and others, that she is engaged in the business and is the professional. The woman has more contact and practical thinking. If a man is inclined to build long-term plans, to calculate the long term, the woman prefers specifically guaranteed result, “here and now”. Women control her own and others’ mistakes better than men. Women usually better formulate their thoughts and expresses ideas. One of the main pitfalls in the way of career development of a business woman is a lack of global view of the problem, more advanced conservatism, a tendency to wallow in the details and emotions, getting bogged down in the system of human relations. These demons can play a cruel joke with a business woman.
After analyzing the modern status of woman in the society, one can say that proposed collection of clothes good displays the woman’s desire to show herself as an independent and fearless person with the rebellious aspect. At the same time, proposed clothes can be considered as shields for women to the outside world.
Conclusion
In conclusion one can say that Japanese culture is quite specific and unusual. It is the main its advantage that can be actively used in the modern fashion industry. Japanese culture differs by samurais, their clothing and armors. Elements of national Japanese clothing have been actively used by Japanese and other designers since the second part of the twentieth century.
In the early 70’s the fashion-western area has been conquered by two people from Japan – Takada Kenzo and Issey Miyake. Today these names have become legends, pioneers of a successful synthesis of Japanese traditions in the territory of the fashion industry. Modern designers are quite often inspired by the Eastern patterns, colors and shapes. For example, Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 Collection was a great expression of models with different elements of Japanese wearing.
My collection of clothes combines some elements of samurai armors and clothes. The target audience of the proposed collection is women aged 20-35 years. Wearing such clothes, women want to express themselves as fearless powerful persons. At the same time, the concept of the collection assumes that clothes can be considered as the shields for women to the outside world. The proposed collection is in the same line with the modern woman desire to be independent persons equally with men.
Works Cited
"Clothing Of Early Asian Cultures - Fashion, Costume, And Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, And Footwear Through The Ages". Fashionencyclopedia.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
"Clothing". Samurai-archives.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
"J.S.ART – Samurai Armor Meets Japanese Fashion | Tokyo Telephone - Your Direct Line To Real Japanese Fashion". Tokyotelephone.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 18 May 2016.
"Proenza Schouler Projects". Proenzaschouler.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
"Tokyo Fashion Overview". Tokyo Fashion News. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
"Traditional Samurai Clothing". Shop.japanese-armor.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Baseel, Casey. "Japanese Fashion Company Brings Modern-Day Samurai Look To Your Legs With Hakama Chino Pants". RocketNews24. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 May 2016.
Bowles, Hamish. "Proenza Schouler Fall 2012". Vogue. N.p., 2012. Web. 18 May 2016.
Freedman, Alisa. Tokyo In Transit. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011. Print.
Hemsworth, Michael. "33 Superb Samurai Fashion Finds". TrendHunter.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Phelps, Nicole. "Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 Ready-To-Wear Fashion Show - Vogue". Vogue. N.p., 2012. Web. 18 May 2016.
Suzuki, Michiko. Becoming Modern Women. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2010. Print.
