The Work of Hanae Mori

It has been over 70 years since Hanae Mori began her design career, as she opened her studio in 1951. She was in charge of hundreds of film costumes during the heyday of Japanese films from the 1950s.
After the success of her first overseas show in New York in 1965, she worked in the U.S., followed by the opening of her own maison in Avenue Montaigne, Paris in 1977. She has been active worldwide as the only Asian designer to be accepted as a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
During 27 years of presenting new haute couture creations in Paris every season, Hanae Mori, also known as the “Ambassadress for Beauty”, was invited to many different countries to hold her shows.
While subtly and skillfully incorporating the nuances of the times, her works, created with sophisticated designs, colors and unique materials, have been loved around the world.
The haute couture dresses that adorned women are described as “You feel decent, no matter where in the world you wear them”.
Elegance endorsed by the dignity gives confidence for the wearer.

Hanae Mori was a pioneer of working women herself, and her daytime clothing designs became popular for suits and other professional wear.
Dashing and easy to move in- the jacket, dubbed the “Women's suit jacket”, was an ally for women's work hours.
As the ways of working become more diverse and men's business attire is no longer limited to suits, women's professional styles are also changing to have more freedom.
With these in mind, what Hanae Mori consistently proposes are the outfits with “elegance” and the comfort.
“Always walk beautifully” is the message to women from Hanae Mori.

While subtly and skillfully incorporating the nuances of the times, her works,
created with sophisticated designs, colors and unique materials, have been
loved around the world.
The haute couture dresses that adorned women are described as “You feel
decent, no matter where in the world you wear them”.
Elegance endorsed by the dignity gives confidence for the wearer.
Hanae Mori was a pioneer of working women herself, and her daytime
clothing designs became popular for suits and other professional wear.
Dashing and easy to move in- the jacket, dubbed the “Women's suit jacket”
, was an ally for women's work hours.
As the ways of working become more diverse and men's business attire is no
longer limited to suits, women's professional styles are also changing to have
more freedom.
With these in mind, what Hanae Mori consistently proposes are the outfits
with “elegance” and the comfort.
“Always walk beautifully” is the message to women from Hanae Mori.

Speaking of the accessories in our daily lives, she offers a variety of fun and
useful items. Lightweight, compact folding umbrellas that are now common,
bags with lots of storage pockets, set of handkerchief and Japanese holding
fan, and so on - functional, yet stylish accessories have made people’s lives
more enjoyable and colorful ones.
The symbol of butterfly has long been flying around the world in various
forms of items, such as scarves and perfume bottles.
She has also designed uniforms for JAL flight attendants, banks and other
companies, and school uniforms for junior and senior high school students.
Successfully expressing clean image of the Japanese, she also took charge of
designing the official uniforms of the Japanese Delegation at the Summer
Olympics in Barcelona. Empress Masako's robe décolleté designed by Hanae
Mori for the marriage of then Crown Prince in 1993 is widely known, together
with the bride’s shining smile.
In addition to the daily clothing, she had also created countless costumes for
films and performances.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, she designed many film costumes.
Under the direction of great directors from the time, her job was to bring out
the charms and depict the roles of young actors such as a pair of Yujiro
Ishihara and Mie Kitahara, Mariko Okada, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Shima
Iwashita, Ruriko Asaoka, etc. It was the time when films led the trends in
town.

For the performances, the costumes she made for Japanese nationally -recognized singer, Hibari Misora's “Tokyo Dome Concert” are commonly known. She was involved in a vast variety of works such as Opera “Madame Butterfly” at La Scala, Milan, and Ballet “Cinderella" at the Paris Opera House, and in Japan, the Shiki Theatre Company’s “Rokumeikan”.
She created her own unique beauty by fusing the traditional Japanese stage costumes of Noh and Kabuki with the handiwork of haute couture and Western aesthetics.
She received numerous national and international awards for these activities. In 1996, she became the first person in the fashion industry to be awarded the Order of Culture.
She has also been awarded the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur from the French government.
Now, the times are changing dramatically.The way we live and work is being reconsidered, transcending nationality, race, age, and gender.
As the ways of our lives become further diverse, so do our outfits- we can be ourselves both in and out of work by being a little creative with how we style our outfits.
In various scenes we enjoy freely, Hanae Mori values the importance of comfort and freshness.

For the performances, the costumes she made for Japanese nationally -
recognized singer, Hibari Misora's “Tokyo Dome Concert” are commonly
known. She was involved in a vast variety of works such as Opera “Madame
Butterfly” at La Scala, Milan, and Ballet “Cinderella” at the Paris Opera
House, and in Japan, the Shiki Theatre Company’s “Rokumeikan”.
She created her own unique beauty by fusing the traditional Japanese stage
costumes of Noh and Kabuki with the handiwork of haute couture and
Western aesthetics. She received numerous national and international awards for these activities.
In 1996, she became the first person in the fashion industry to be awarded
the Order of Culture.
She has also been awarded the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur from the
French government.
Now, the times are changing dramatically.
The way we live and work is being reconsidered, transcending nationality,
race, age, and gender.
As the ways of our lives become further diverse, so do our outfits- we can be
ourselves both in and out of work by being a little creative with how we style
our outfits.
In various scenes we enjoy freely, Hanae Mori values the importance of
comfort and freshness.