Yayoi Kusama's Fashion Legacy
The late artist Yayoi Kusama, who died at 97, ran a daring clothing line in the 1960s and influenced designers like Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela.
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who died at 97, had a long and radical relationship with fashion that extended beyond her famous polka dots. According to a report originally published in 2021, her influence runs from illegal 1960s happenings to a major collaboration with luxury brand Louis Vuitton.
Kusama's goal was self-obliteration, using endless patterns to negate herself into her environment. This artistic drive also shaped her personal style and commercial ventures.
Kusama's Personal Style
Kusama used clothing as a tool for performance and self-promotion. In the early 1960s in New York, she would often appear at events in sumptuous kimonos, playing with Western perceptions of exoticism. One performance, Walking Piece, saw her wander Manhattan in a pink kimono, satirizing the geisha image from war films.
Later, she developed a consistent personal brand. She is now rarely seen without a bright red wig and a dotted dress, a calculated image akin to Andy Warhol's signature look. Kusama claimed Warhol copied her ideas.
Kusama Fashion Company Ltd.
In 1968, Yayoi Kusama established the Kusama Fashion Company Ltd. The brand was soon sold in 400 stores across the United States. Bloomingdales created a "Kusama Corner," and she opened a short-lived boutique on Sixth Avenue in April 1969.
The clothing was known for its daring designs, riffing on themes of nudity and orgies from her happenings. Key radical pieces included the "Squid Dress" with breast cut-outs, the "Homo Dress" with a strategic rear hole, and evening gowns with peep-holes. Kusama admitted these vanguard items sold poorly.
She later started the Nude Fashion Company, an offshoot aiming to bring "fresh ideas for enjoying sex into the mainstream." This line included items like the "Couples Dress" and a "Party Dress" that could accommodate up to 25 people. All were decorated with polka dots.
Influence on Rei Kawakubo and Others
Kusama's "Accumulation Series," featuring objects covered in repeating appendages, is considered a precursor to the work of designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. Kawakubo's use of padded tubing, fabric sprouts, and protrusions echoes Kusama's challenge to conventional silhouettes.
The connection is not speculative. Kawakubo and Kusama hosted a joint exhibition called Room to Grow in 2009. Kawakubo's admiration was also shown in Comme des Garçons' AW12 collection, which featured a red wig and polka dot look reminiscent of Kusama.
Echoes of the accumulation series are also seen in the work of designers like Noir Kei Ninomiya, Iris Van Herpen, and Chet Lo.
Food Obsession and Martin Margiela
Kusama's "Food Obsession" sculptures, born from a fear of mass consumption, led to fashion items covered in dried pasta. These pieces were dipped in gold or sprayed with chrome, creating a stiff, sculptural effect.
This approach finds a parallel in the work of Martin Margiela. Both designers used paint to unify clothing as soft-sculpture, presenting fashion as an uncanny artefact rather than something livable. John Galliano's debut for Margiela featured a coat with bulging lacquered shells, paying homage to Kusama's clustered aesthetic.
Louis Vuitton and Collaborations
In 2012, Kusama collaborated with Louis Vuitton, bringing her signature dots to handbags and accessories. This partnership marked a significant moment where her anti-establishment art reached a global luxury audience. The report notes her attendance at the collaboration's unveiling in New York City that year.
