Killer7 SINdicate

[Meru]

What seems to be a neglected side of Kazuma Kaneko is the influence of fashion in his character designs, and I have personally always thought of him as a fashion illustrator foremost.
Last year, we lost three designers whose work had what I see as a clear influence on Kaneko from the mid-90s onwards. Namely; Issey Miyake, Thierry "Manfred" Mugler, and Vivienne Westwood. The silhouettes of Pleats Please, the rocking-horse shoes, bondage elements and heart motifs of Westwood, the business-militarism and striking shoulders of Mugler are all prevalent and recurring. In the case of Mugler, some of his iconic creations were even used directly, such as the famous motorcycle dress.

I wanted to ask those of you knowledgeable about the man whether he has ever discussed his fashion influences anywhere. My search efforts have been unsuccessful.

[cj_iwakura]

Here you go:
https://shmuplations.com/kobayashikaneko/

Kaneko: There’s some great designers out there. Lately I’ve been into W&LT… though their designs have been getting more and more outlandish. (laughs) I’m scared to think they’re actually selling this stuff! Thierry Mugler, too… they’re all doing kind of crazy stuff these days.

Kaneko: That’s true! I like stuff like Dolce and Gabbana. I own a lot of their clothes. It’s dangerous to wear only Dolce and Gabbana though!

[Meru]

Wonderful! Thank you!