Her designs combined traditional patterns like cranes and cherry blossoms - and her trademark butterflies - with Western styles, from woollen suits to sharp satin tailoring. In 1965, Mori unveiled her first collection abroad, in New York, under the theme "East Meets West". I suddenly realised that I should change my approach and make my dresses help a woman stand out," she said, according to the Washington Post. "The whole Japanese concept of beauty is based on concealment. When she stepped into Chanel's studio the iconic designer suggested she wear something in bright orange to contrast with her black hair. It turned out to be an inspirational encounter. "This was a kind of turning point for me," she once said of the trips in the early 1960s, during which she met Coco Chanel in Paris. She opened her first atelier above a noodle shop in Tokyo, and came to specialise in dressing the stars of the silver screen.Īs Japan's postwar economy grew, so did her business, which she ran with her husband - a textile executive who encouraged her to visit Paris and New York when the arrival of television made the film industry less profitable. ![]() Encounter with Chanelīorn in 1926 in a rural corner of western Japan, Mori studied literature at Tokyo Women's Christian University before turning her hand to design. "Fashion is something that pushes you, gives you courage to spread your wings and allows you to have adventures," she said. In January, the designer summed up her feelings toward the industry in a special column for Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily. "When humans work with their hands, their creativity expands," Mori told AFP during a 2006 retrospective in Tokyo, where a robot modelled a replica of her classic "Chrysanthemum Pyjamas" - a kimono-like robe made from hot-pink chiffon and silk. The exclusive French club sets exacting standards for their hand-crafted, and extremely expensive, garments. ![]() The designer's trailblazing career took her from Tokyo, where she started out making costumes for cinema, to New York and Paris - and in 1977 her label became the first Asian fashion house to join the rarefied ranks of haute couture. Over the decades Mori's luxurious creations were worn by Nancy Reagan, Grace Kelly and countless members of high society.īut she was also a pioneer for Japanese women, one of a tiny number to head an international corporation.Īn employee at Mori's office said Thursday that she died at home "of old age" on August 11, and that a private funeral had taken place.
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