More About Katsuya Ooe and My Gowns
From left to right: In addition to his work in fashion, Katsuya Ooe has also designed leather goods, jewelry, furniture, and even a hotel! Above are just a few examples of his creativity.
With tickets for my Carnegie Hall solo recital debut going on sale this week, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about all that is happening. There are many details that must be managed, but I am very fortunate to be working with so many wonderful people, and humbled to be surrounded by so much talent and creativity.
Mr. Alexander wrote to Mr. Ooe about my gowns, and asked him some questions about his thought process and the inspirations behind the designs he created for me. I would like to share his thoughts with you as a part of today’s post:
BA: With inspiration coming to designers from a variety of sources, it is my understanding that the selection of fabrics can often serve as a starting point. What were your choices of fabrics for the two gowns you and your atelier are designing for Nana Miyoshi, and why did you choose them?
KO: I am currently working on a project to promote traditional Japanese industries and their preservation, and as I was turning my attention to Japanese silk, the commission to make these dresses was perfectly timed, as it will be an opportunity to expose Japanese weaving and dyeing to people around the world.
Furthermore, Nana loves blue, so Mr. Masaru Naruse, a weaver and fabric designer who works in our atelier and dyes fabrics to create a special color we call Naruse Blue, was the perfect person for this collaboration, so I asked him to weave and dye the fabric for the two types of gowns.
BA: How did you arrive at the silhouette for each of the gowns?
KO: We decided on an Empire style silhouette since the delicacy of a high waist is extremely flattering to Nana and her beauty. There was also however a very practical concern, which was making sure she could move freely in the gowns while playing. We spent some time with her showing me all of the movements she would need to make while at the piano in order to for us to then be sure that she was always as comfortable as possible. This helped us to build a certain movement of the fabric into both gowns that would be, from a design standpoint, expressive but also practical.
BA: In what ways, if any, does the fact that you are creating for a concert pianist affect the design of the gowns?
KO: No matter what the dress, I always have the occasion in mind, as it is one of many factors that have to be considered. In this case I chose cutting and draping that would not interfere with the movements of Nana playing the piano, but also designs and ideas that reflect her tastes. As I got to know her better and we discussed her career, she became a kind of muse for me to complete the ideas necessary to create the gowns.
Most important however is the fact that I work almost entirely from inspiration, so even though logic and practicality are part of the design process, I rely a great deal on emotion and a combination of feelings and enthusiasm to transform thoughts into actual creations.
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Tomorrow I will be writing about another all-important member of this wonderful design team, Ms. Mizuyo Uno. Don’t miss what she has to say about how she created the patterns for each gown!
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