- INTERVIEW
- DESIGNER
- INTERVIEWER : DAISUKE SHOJI
- PHOTO : TATSUYA HAYAKAWA
"The Uncertainty of the Existence of Fashion"
Yasuhiro Mihara's Philosophy of Harmonizing Art and Humanity
After launching his own brand in 1996 and making his Tokyo Collection debut in 1999, Yasuhiro Mihara has expanded into the European and US markets. The brand Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO has been attracting attention at Paris Fashion Week, where the world’s hottest brands gather, for its innovative creations that always fascinate the viewer. This season, the brand’s exceptional creativity was on full display again, with a collection full of attention to detail – from the overall image of the show to each component of the clothes – that made us want to watch the show over and over again. Whether in real life or on film, you will probably find yourself smiling after watching this show. We asked Yasuhiro Mihara, a designer who continues to be active at the bleeding edge of the fashion world in the role of rare entertainer, about his thoughts on his creations.
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The theme of "Imitation Complex" focuses on the blurred line between "imitation" and "authenticity". How did you come up with this idea?
This season also contains a sense of nostalgia for things from the past, such as history and culture. Today’s creations are so far removed from the original context of the past that they have become a cut-and-paste of past facts such as history and tradition patched together in order to express something new. In fact, it is now considered a good thing, and no one can suggest what the real thing is anymore. The ambiguity of what is imitation and what is the real thing is an interesting aspect of today’s prevailing outlook. What I am trying to say is, “Does the language of creation have a meaning of authenticity?” I am trying to say, “Does the language of creation have a meaning of genuineness?”
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How do you see the current zeitgeist?
When the corona pandemic began about three years ago and the world was in turmoil, people’s daily habits and spiritual values changed drastically. But before long, that awareness has faded away, and what was supposed to be a full-on effort to go in a different direction is now reverting back to its original time frame. Most people are now going about their daily lives as if nothing happened. Even though it actually happened, somewhere in the back of our minds, we have already taken it as something unrealistic, for better or worse. For example, from a modern perspective even historical events and traditions that have continued for 300 or 400 years are just symbols and information. In other words, you could say that we are living in an era in which all the information we see is perceived as a facsimile of the real thing.
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When did you first become aware of the meaning of "imitation"?
This is really just a personal opinion. When I was in the first grade of high school, I saw sketches by Michelangelo at first. In my second year of high school, I began to study art in earnest in order to enter art school, so I repeated the copying process over and over again. It was a great way to learn how the master used his paint brushes, but the way I looked at his art books I was using also gradually changed, and I began to imagine his emotion and personality from the way he drew his lines. Of course, I have never met him, so it was really just my own selfish imagination. But there are countless cases in the world where techniques and ideas develop from imitation. I feel that imitation is a very human act, and I believe that it has contributed to fashion culture in a small way. Even the act of making clothing is, in historical context, an act of imitation when done by Asian people. Conversely, there are many kimono-style dresses made by Europeans. This kind of mixing and matching has been going on for a long time.
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What did you want to convey through the collection?
For our generation, the fashion of the ’80s and ’90s were a source of aspiration and passion, and we could feel their value in a very real way. At first glance, it seems as if that value is still valid today, but in reality, the amount and speed of information flows so fast that we don’t have the spare time to feel the vibes or reverberations, or even think about the creation process. Young people, who are most easily influenced by information, have lost interest in real fashion and learn about it only through the most easy-to-parse sources. I think that makes the generation that shared the idea that they could not live without fashion feel sad. That is why I strongly feel the need to reconfirm the meaning of the existence of fashion for individuals, not the flood of information. The uncertainty of the existence of fashion is, so to speak, the meaning of freedom.
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So What is your philosophy?
My philosophy hasn’t changed since my early twenties; it’s harmony between art and people. To put it simply, I think fashion is also an art form. For example, when people look at art, they start thinking about some kind of problem. Art has the energy to force people to think about something. In the same way, I would be happy if you could feel the humor and creativity from our products and get a lot of inspiration from regular everyday life. I think that is what fashion means to us.
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The Mihara Yasuhiro brand of humor was evident in this show
Fashion is not interesting if it is merely purely beautiful. Originally, there was an orthodox path, and a counterculture like ours was established as the antithesis to that. But ironically, in this show, I felt as if we were, in a sense, orthodox. Nowadays, the original context has been messed up. I feel that the problem is that we are in an era in which the orthodox route seems to be missing.
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What are you most interested in right now
Actually, I am interested in image generation AI. I am especially addicted to AI glitches, which occur quite frequently. I keep searching for these glitches in AI art telling myself what an idiot I am for doing so, but it’s so interesting that I can’t stop looking. I even feel a sense of kinship with AI, because it seems to be just like us humans who keep making mistakes and are constantly contradicting ourselves. In the near future, AI may reign as the new orthodoxy in the field of creation. Or maybe it is already here. But the more AI-led digital design develops, the more interesting human design will become. Fashion shouldn’t just be about good arguments; that’s no fun at all. It’s not fun at all, because human beings are also like glitches in a certain sense.
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Finally, what are your plans for the future?
Personally, nothing will change for me going forward. While the means of expression continues to change, I will continue to pursue the essential parts just as I always have. As a brand, the position of an independent brand like ours has not been properly verbalized yet, so I would like to define it. “Luxury” has been around for a long time, but the perception of the word has changed a lot. “Fast fashion” has only been around for about 10 years, but it has grown into a large market even though it has passed its peak. The term “DC brand” that we used to use seems so strange these days, doesn’t it? The clearer the terminology defines, the stronger the market will be so we want to find a terminology that is properly clear, not vague.
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2023-2024 A/W Collection “Imitation Complex”
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