Legendary Fashion Designer Kansai Yamamoto Has Passed Away

Esteemed Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto has passed away, as confirmed by an Instagram post from his daughter, Mirai, this morning.

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. 父、山本寛齋は去る７月２１日、 私を含め家族が看取る中、安らかに７６歳にてこの世を旅立ちました。 私にとって、父はエネルギッシュで明るいことはもとより、穏やかで、寛大で、人懐っこく、コミュニケーションを大切にし、無償の愛を与えてくれた存在でした。　 また人生を通して「時に折れることがあろうと、常に前向きに、果敢に挑戦し続けることが明るい未来に繋がる」ということを教えてくれました。 生前中の父・山本寛齋と関わってくださった関係者の皆さま、医療関係者の皆さま、応援してくださった皆さまへ心より感謝を申し上げます。 今後も女優業を継続する傍ら、 2020年、年初より加わりました山本寛齋率いる「KANSAI SUPER STUDIO」にて父・寛齋の「元気」をスタッフと共に継承していきたいと思っておりますので、よろしくお願い申し上げます。 2020年7月27日 山本未來 ————————————————————— On July 21st, my father, Kansai Yamamoto, passed away at the age of 76. He left this world peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. In my eyes, my father was not only the eclectic and energetic soul that the world knew him as, but someone who was also thoughtful, kind-hearted, and affectionate. He valued communication and showered me with love throughout my entire life. He also taught me to persist throughout failures and to never let go of a positive, forward-looking mindset. He viewed challenges as opportunities for self-development and always believed in the brighter days ahead. I want to thank everyone who has touched my father’s life in some way, shape, or form. Without you, his legacy would not exist. I will continue supporting this legacy of my father through my work at KANSAI SUPER STUDIO, alongside my acting career. In doing so, I hope to spread Kansai Yamamoto’s spirit of “Genki” to the world. Sincerely, Mirai Yamamoto 7/27/2020

A post shared by Mirai Yamamoto 山本未來 (@miraiyamamoto_official) on Jul 26, 2020 at 8:35pm PDT

Prior to opening his company in 1971, Yamamoto studied civil engineering and English at Nippon University and subsequently graduated from Bunka College of Fashion — which also counts the likes of Jun Takahashi, Yohji Yamamoto, NIGO and Junya Watanabe as alumni — in 1967.

Kamamoto’s avant-garde collections were renowned within international fashion circles, but his most famous work was arguably his costume designs for David Bowie, for whom he custom-made many of the iconic outfits worn during the musician’s Ziggy Stardust era.

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山本寛斎氏がお亡くなりになられた。ボウイのジギー・スターダスト時代の衣装を手掛けられた。写真のデザインの衣装はあまりにも有名。世界に誇る日本を代表するファッションデザイナーだった。安らかにお眠り下さい。 #kansaiyamamoto #rip

A post shared by kuhara a.k.a suede (@suede_cafe) on Jul 27, 2020 at 2:45am PDT

“Some sort of chemical reaction took place: My clothes became part of David, his songs and his music,” Yamamoto said. “They became part of the message he delivered to the world.”

In recent years, Yamamoto’s influence was evident, inspiring a FW20 collection from Rick Owens, and continuing to make stand-out appearances at industry events, including his fire-engine red suit as seen at the Louis Vuitton Resort 2018 Collection in Japan above.

Original Article