In 2004, the fashion designer Issey Miyake presented a Fall Winter collection in collaboration with artist Aya Takano. The two legendary creatives envisioned a surreal and colorful world, using Takano’s paintings as prints on nearly every garment and accessory. This partnership highlighted the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, blending Miyake’s tactile approach to design with Takano’s whimsical illustrations, transforming each piece into a wearable canvas, and pushing the boundaries of fashion as an art form.
Aya Takano
Aya Takano was born in 1976 in Saitama, Japan. In 2000, she graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo. The same year, she became Takashi Murakami's assistant and later joined his company, Kaikai Kiki Co. Takano’s work spans painting, illustration, written sci-fi, and manga art, and is often associated with the Superflat movement started by Murakami. Takano’s exceptional skills, imaginative spirit, and immersive worlds make her one of the most important contemporary artists in Japan.
Growing up, Takano was enthralled by Japanese anime and 70s Shōjo manga, which celebrated female strength and power. Anime allowed Takano to escape the world around her. Other influences include erotic stamps of the Edo Period, ukiyo-e prints, Japanese folklore, French impressionism, Osamu Tezuka, and Gustav Klimt. Notably, European surrealism and Yayoi Kuma played large roles in Takano’s inspiration as an artist.
“Both have brought something fresh into the world by exploring a new place that has never existed before.” - Aya Takano
These influences can be traced to Takano’s paintings, which commonly feature an array of vibrant colors, urban or dreamy environments, and flat depictions of androgynous girls. Her figures have sharp outlines, circular faces, large and spaced-out eyes, and extremely long and slender bodies. They present Japan’s otaku subculture, which often objectifies and infantilizes women, through a feminine lens. Moreso, Takano’s paintings transcend the "gravity" of social constraints by depicting somewhat familiar yet distant settings.
In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern coasts of Japan, causing the nuclear accident of Fukushima. The tragedy led Takano to realize the power of nature and the fragility of our world. As a result, she admirably altered her lifestyle by becoming vegetarian, switching to second-hand clothes or clothes made from natural fibers, and replacing her acrylic paint with oil paint. Science fiction served as a sanctuary to escape, similar to how her paintings transport viewers to new realities. Embedded within them are references to Japanese mythologies, conveying the spiritual essence and connections between animals, plants, fungi, and humans. By combining tradition with the future, Takano presents her own mythology, her own universe, a hopeful vision for the world.
The Collection
Naoki Takizawa, creative director for Issey Miyake released a Fall/Winter collection with the help of Aya Takano. Like her paintings, the looks were magical interpretations of contemporary garments. Umbrellas, hats, capes, tops, belts, skirts, boots, and luggage were made with Takano’s illustrations as all-over prints. The collection, titled ‘Journey to the Moon’, used her 2004 paintings, Earth seen from the Moon and Moon seen from the Earth, as central motifs and prints for the looks.
Some pieces included layering of fabric, like stretch jersey and stretch mesh. Incorporating images on each layer developed a multidimensional effect. This made the prints feel as though they were flowing off their canvas, stretching and colliding with the external world. By adding depth and movement to the superflat images, the garments took on a more lifelike quality, as the characters depicted seemed to gesticulate along with the models.
Issey Miyake shows are known for often incorporating an element of performance that highlights the technical aspects of the garments. This collection was no different. During the runway, models in one-piece bodysuits walked with a mini, matching suitcase. They momentarily stopped, unzipped the luggage, and took out a large quilted hat to wear. Then, they grabbed a pouch containing a bundled-up coat. Finally, the models reached for gloves to complete their look. The packability of these garments and their ability to expand to their final size seems as surreal and expansive as Takano’s playful space motifs.
Exuberant hats featured a dramatically curved brim with Takano’s print and a cage structure at the top. Between the models’ heads and the cage lay an orange. This detail added to the whimsical narrative and further transported the looks to the two creatives’ universe. These hats, with their exaggerated silhouettes and lack of head coverage, existed more as pieces of wearable art.
After the show, an exhibition that featured the original paintings alongside items from the collection was produced by Perrotin, the gallery that represents Takano.
Issey Miyake and Aya Takano combined their innovative use of fabrics and mystique illustrations, respectively, to build a dream-like story. Their show highlights the possibilities of fusing fashion with illustration, and even more, designers and fine artists working together. This partnership serves as a reminder of how interdisciplinary collaborations can inspire new ideas, merging two art forms to create something truly unique and visionary.
