THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 27, 2020 at 15:49 JST
Kansai Yamamoto (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
World-renowned fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, who famously dressed David Bowie as "Ziggy Stardust," died on July 21 after battling acute myelocytic leukemia. He was 76.
Yamamoto’s daughter, Mirai, announced her father's death on social media on July 27.
In February, Yamamoto disclosed that he had been diagnosed with the disease.
Yamamoto was born in Yokohama. He enrolled in Nihon University and majored in English literature but left the school to become an apprentice with famed designer Junko Koshino.
Yamamoto went independent after winning an acclaimed fashion award in 1967.
He made his world debut in London in 1971 by holding a fashion show that incorporated elements of Kabuki, which made a vivid impression among fashionistas around the world and assured him a permanent place in the industry.
Along with his work for Bowie, John Lennon was photographed wearing a jacket designed by Yamamoto.
Yamamoto hosted a stage series called “Kansai Super Show” in many parts of the world.
In 1993, he held a “Hello Russia” event that attracted 120,000 people in Moscow’s Red Square.
Yamamoto produced the opening event at the 2005 Expo held in Aichi Prefecture.
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