Alexander McQueen looking at the East – Influence of Japanese kimono on the West and Orientalist elements in McQueen’s (Spring/Summer 2001) “Voss” collectio

Abstract

Since the beginning of the trade between Japan and the West in 1853, the kimono and other oriental garments flooded the Western market. Designers started incorporating the kimono and its elements into their design, therefore, bringing newness to the kind of static decade of Western fashion. There were two different approaches fashion designers used toward exotic garments: some would see just costumes and others would try to preserve the original work. This paper intends to analyze the work of the British designer Alexander McQueen who belongs to the second group, in other words, designers who created modern garments while still trying to keep the traditional aspects of the culture from which they borrowed. An example of the second approach would be McQueen’s (Spring/Summer 2001) “Voss” collection with which he also challenged the concept of beauty. Nature plays an integral part in this collection, but also worth mentioning are the elements of the East, especially Japan. McQueen was one of these designers who did borrow the elements of the countries of the Orient while also preserving the original craftsmanship. When it comes to Japan, in particular, McQueen used Japanese screens with embroidered panels for the creation of the dress. Interestingly, the original Japanese design and craftsmanship were preserved but transformed into something nostalgic and also new.