Boosted by Japan's remarkable economic growth and the modernization of the country's lifestyle in the latter half of the 20th century, contemporary Japanese fashion has soared to the heights of the global fashion scene while, at the same time, the textile industry related to the kimono has declined. Yet, although it seems that the kimono has been replaced by Western fashion in Japan, traditional kimono culture continues to be deeply woven into modern Japanese fashion.
One can recognize this continuity in "Future Beauty," an exhibition of contemporary Japanese fashion currently running at The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, which provides a comprehensive picture of the development of fashion design in this country.
"Future Beauty" conceived by The Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) is an ambitious exhibition that has toured the world, with stops in Munich, Tokyo, Seattle and Salem, Massachusetts, since it started at the Barbican Art Gallery in London in 2010. The exhibition showcases a range of Japanese designers through their garments, from the big names that pioneered modern fashion to today's emerging young designers.