Fashion Designers

Known for his avant-garde collections and the dramatic way he blended traditional Japanese designs with bright and bold fantasy colours, he is perhaps most famous for his collaboration with rock/pop icon David Bowie.

Born in Yokohama in 1944, he planned to study engineering but switched to fashion design instead.

In 1971, he was the first Japanese designer to feature at the prestigious London Fashion Week, where his show was described by Harpers & Queen magazine as "the Show of the Year...a spectacular coup de theatre." This success led to his designing many pieces for Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane tours in the early 1970s, including a famous white cape covered with kanji characters.

"Some sort of chemical reaction took place: My clothes became part of David, his songs and his music," Yamamoto said in a 2016 interview. "They became part of the message he delivered to the world." He also designed clothing for other musical superstars including Elton John, Stevie Wonder and John Lennon.

Yamamoto showed at fashion events worldwide in New York, Paris and London until 1992. He also created what he called "super-shows", which brought together elements of fashion, music and dance, in venues as varied as India, Russia and Vietnam. The 1993 Moscow show held in Red Square is said to have been attended by 120,000 people.

Beyond fashion, Yamamoto also designed venues and social events, including for the 2008 G8 summit in Tokyo, and the Skyliner train that runs between Tokyo Narita Airport and the capital.

Yamamoto died in July 2020 after a diagnosis of leukemia. A "super energy" show was scheduled for just days after his death.