Hanae Mori Style

Hanae Mori Style was published in 2001 by Kodansha International as a retrospective reflection on the life and work of Japan’s most influential haute couture designer. Produced at the dawn of the new millennium, the book serves as a visual biography that catalogs Mori’s rise from a post-war Tokyo atelier to the prestigious runways of Paris, where she became the first Asian woman to be admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.

The book acts as a curated portfolio of Mori’s signature aesthetic, characterized by her hallmark butterfly motifs and the seamless fusion of traditional Japanese motifs with Western tailoring. It offers readers an intimate look at her design philosophy, which aimed to harmonize Eastern elegance with modern sensibilities. Upon release, the volume was well-received by fashion historians and critics for its archival value in documenting the cultural bridge she built between East and West throughout the latter half of the twentieth century.