When Punk Meets High Fashion- An Interview with Yasuyuki Ishii
Courtesy of Yasuyuki Ishii │picture by Oliver Leone
Yasuyuki Ishii started his career as an object artist in the 80s, focusing on transforming the materiality of found objects into artistic expressions. In his youth he was in a punk band, and his affinity for decaying textures, leather, and metal hardware would spill into his art and eventually his fashion designs. After working on costumes for theater he began working for Guy Laroche where he learned how to properly translate his artistic interests into garments.
During the 90s and early 2000s, his namesake label was known for bridging the line between punk attire and high fashion through meticulous experimentation with textiles and fabric processes. His patchwork leather pieces with frayed stitching and languid silhouettes combined with unique cargo pants and riveted ornamentation aligned his work with cyberpunk artists. Despite a cult-like following in Japan it wasn’t until now that his work has reached international success. This interview and photoshoot by Oliver Leone marks his full return to the fashion industry.
What was school like at Kuwasawa design? Were you a good student? Are there any important memories you recall from this time?
At Kuwasawa Design School,I had many wonderful encounters. I met famous designers of stage costumes, stage directors, musicians, etc. I was invited to parties where many talented people gathered. I have met many people that I would not have met in my normal life, and I have been impressed and influenced by them.
Can you tell me about your work as an object designer in the 80s? Describe to me the pieces you were creating, who were your influences at the time?
Although I don’t list it in my profile, before I started as an object artist, I had been doing creative activities (creating art groups of various categories, stage costumes, etc.) Through these activities, there was a producer who saw my talent (potential). She was a very capable person, and I was able to show her my idea notes regularly, and with her advice, I was able to immerse myself in my creative work as I wished. Her management brought me into the limelight, and I was interviewed by various magazines, had solo exhibitions, decorated the venue for celebrity parties, exhibited my work in national and international galleries, and made purchases.
I felt uncomfortable with the people approaching me and my unrealistic position. I was more sensitive then than I am now, and I was sick and tired of people turning what I enjoyed making into money, and their incomprehensible cronies.So I stopped selling what I felt was insubstantial art and started making real, wearable clothes. I was influenced by various artworks and architectures, but I think it was more the atmosphere I got from the artworks at that time rather than who they were.
What was the work that won you the Kansai Yamamoto prize in 1987? Do you have any pictures?
The title is “toch and go”This is a kind of armor made of colorful electric cords woven into a wire mesh. I felt like I was making some kind of secret device. I don’t have any photos of it. However a similar work was featured in Vogue and Architecture magazine a few years ago.
What was it like working for the house of Guy Laroche from 1994-1996? what were your job specifications? What did you learn from this apprenticeship?
I was working for Guy Laroche as a licensed designer for men’s wear division in Japan. The work was quite different from what I was making, but it was a great experience in terms of meeting with the design team in Paris, working with textiles and factories, and how to give shape to my ideas.
Who or what initially motivated you to transition from objet art to fashion design?
It was my own decision. I felt uncomfortable with my work in object art and the environment around me, and I simply wanted to work in fashion. I’m still interested in a lot of different things, and sometimes they fall into the category of fashion, and sometimes they fall into the category of object art. I also use materials that are not often used in clothing. This is thanks to the craftsmen who enjoy sewing the time-consuming process.
Your work tended to lean towards a punk style. Were you interested in punk music/culture? What music do you like to listen to?
I don’t think I’m leaning towards punk now, but I was in a punk band when I was a teenager. Currently, I listen to all kinds of music.I used to love Jeff Beck and Pink Floyd, And I have always been around a lot of people who are involved in music, so that has influenced me.
What is “dexter&sinister”, you have this written on a lot of your pieces
I think it was something that I was interested in at the time, but I think it was a time when I wanted direction and rules for my designs.
Im curious if you’ve ever met rick owens? his work has some similar elements to yours and his wife michelle lamy follows your page on instagram.
I met Michelle at an exhibition in Paris in 2007, and my work at the exhibition received a very good evaluation.After that, she invited me to his studio and gave me a lot of advice.At that time, Rick Owens was already established as a brand, and she wanted to produce three new designers, an English designer, a German designer, and myself.
Your work centers around using unorthodox textures, How do you create these textures and what inspires them? I have these cheetah print pants with felt on them… What was the process like with your manufacturers of creating these one of a kind textures?
We proceeded little by little through trial and error. I worked with the artisans to raise the sample textile swatches many times, and went into the factory to do the processing myself until close to the exhibition.
What are you currently working on? what makes you excited artistically for the future?
I am very interested in new technologies and ideas, on the premise that the world world will be better than it is now, and that a world without discrimination will come. I am always thinking about various things, even if I don’t know if they are feasible or impossible. and how fun it would be if such things existed.
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