Culture

Katsuya Kamo at Omotesando Hills in Tokyo

Katsuya Kamo was a brilliant artist who created what he called “head sculptures” for runway shows for Junya Watanabe, Jun Takahashi’s Undercover, and Anrealage. He also occasionally worked with Chanel and Haider Ackermann. You have seen his iconic pieces that contributed to the overall image and runway awe of those brands even if you did not know Kamo’s name.

If you were lucky, as I was, to be in Tokyo in the past two weeks, you would’ve had a chance to see the first comprehensive exhibit of Kamo’s work, Kamo Head at Omotesando Hills, a shopping complex in Aoyama. Of 400 objects exhibited, over 250 were Kamo’s brilliant head pieces made from seemingly anything he could find lying around his studio, from cardboard to papier mache, to shattered mirrors, and of course, human hair.

Kamo’s brilliance is hard to describe, it needs to be seen. He passed away several years ago from cancer, and this exhibit was therefore postponed until the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a privilege to be able to create a photo essay for you. We hope that it will transport you to the exhibit itself and to Kamo’s world.

_______________

All photography by Eugene Rabkin. These images may not be reproduced without expressed permission.

Eugene Rabkin

Eugene Rabkin is the founder of stylezeitgeist.com. He has contributed articles on fashion and culture to The Business of Fashion, Vogue Russia, Buro247, the Haaretz Daily Newspaper, and other publications. He has taught critical writing and fashion writing courses at Parsons the New School for Design.

Published by

Recent Posts

Unpacking Kering’s Earnings

Today, Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta,…

Apr 23, 2025

OUTLAWS: Fashion Renegades Of Leigh Bowery’s 1980s London

That burst of angry, youthful energy unleashed on London streets in 1976 called punk indelibly…

Apr 23, 2025

Duran Lantink’s Appointment to Gaultier Proves That Contemporary Fashion Is a Simulation

Today we woke up to the news that the up and coming designer Duran Lantink…

Apr 15, 2025

Trump, the Unwitting Sustainability Warrior

Take a deep breath, and suspend your justified knee-jerk reaction at mentioning Trump before you…

Apr 11, 2025