Close Up Designers of Fashion – Tadashi Shoji

For as long as there have been people, fashion has existed.

In early human history, fashion changed very seldomly, limited only to the most rapid economic, political and cultural changes. As production and stability increased so did the accessibility of clothing. Changes in modern-day fashion are fast and unpredictable.

Fashion is about favourability, so whoever was most beloved or respected at the time lead the trends of the day. Royalty was very influential, but as monarchies ended, celebrities took over that role.

Neither royalty nor celebrity were very good at designing clothes though. Up until 1858, the innovations in fashion were by tailors, dressmakers, and the textile industry.

After that, the idea of a fashion designer became commonplace.

Fashion designers became so influential that the fashionable ones became celebrities in their own right. Now it is the fashion designers who set the trends and the superstars who give them credence.

In this series, we will be exploring some of the most influential fashion designers in the world. Each episode features a world-class designer and tells the story of their success. We discover their design philosophies and study their history.

In our debut episode, we will be featuring Tadashi Shoji. From a childhood of sketching garments, he has become a worldwide sensation for his practical yet exquisite fashion lines. His passion for giving women more choices in evening dresses first spurred him on. He is a successful businessman with an online store that ships worldwide and has opened a hand-full of brick-and-mortar stores globally. To see some of his work give his website a visit.

Don’t miss this intimate look at the man and his work.

Mondays at 6 PM on FashionBOX (ch 282) from Monday, 01 February