Japanese fashion has long been creating a buzz around the world with its unique form and aesthetics which provide a strong contrast to fashions in the West. The Japan Foundation has invited Akiko Fukai, Director and Chief Curator of the Kyoto Costume Institute and one of Japan's most respected fashion historians, to talk about the power of Japanese fashion and its cultural context. Tracing back to the past, Ms Fukai will explore the sources and aesthetics which form the foundations of Japanese fashion, illustrating where Japanese contemporary fashion has coma from and what it is today.

As well as complementing the recent Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese., Fashion exhibition at Barbican Art Gallery for which Fukai was the leading curator, this talk will provide an opportunity to discover and define the true beauty of contemporary Japanese fashion beyond Comma des Garcons or the kawaii trends on the streets of Tokyo.

Akiko Fukai’s talk will be followed by a conversation with Alison Moloney,  Fashion Advisor to the British Council.

This event is free to attend but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email your name and those of any guests, as well as the title of the event you would like to attend to event@jpf.org.uk.