Renowned Japanese fashion designer, Kansai Yamamoto, who was known for his career-defining collaboration with David Bowie and his eye catching designs, has died.
Yamamoto was aged 76.
According to a statement published by the designer’s company on Monday, July 27, Yamamoto died last Tuesday following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. His funeral has already taken place but his family has decided to make his death private, till this week.
According to his family, a “public farewell” for the designer may be held at a later date.
Confirming his death via Instagram on Monday July 27, Yamamoto’s daughter Mirai said her father “left this world peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”
‘”In my eyes, my father was not only the eclectic and energetic soul that the world knew him as, but someone who was also thoughtful, kind-hearted and affectionate,” she wrote.
He was from Yokohama. His works debuted in London in 1971 as he became the first Japanese designer to organize a fashion show there.
His collection in London brought him international recognition and a long-lasting friendship with some of the world’s most high-profile musicians, including Elton John, Stevie Wonder and the late English singer-songwriter David Bowie, whose alter-ego Ziggy Stardust wore Yamamoto’s outfits for his 1972-73 Aladdin Insane tour.
Yamamoto’s designs also showed in the Tokyo, New York and Paris fashion weeks from 1974 to 1992. As an event producer, Yamamoto oversaw the Kansai Super Show ‘Hello! Russia’ in Moscow’s Red Square in 1993 and produced an event for the opening of the 2005 World Expo in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, among others.
May his soul rest in peace.