The Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, who was known as “Madame Butterfly” for her characteristic butterfly designs, has passed away. She was 96 years old.
Local media said that she died of old age in her Tokyo residence on August 11 and had a private funeral.
In 1977, Mori became the first Japanese and Asian designer to join the illustrious ranks of haute couture designers.
The private Parisian club is considered the peak of luxury fashion.
Mori, who was born in western Japan in 1926, received a degree from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University.
In 1951, she started her first atelier in Tokyo above a noodle business. She has stated that meeting Coco Chanel on a trip to Paris in the 1960s was a “turning point” in her career and that she was inspired by Chanel to design for ladies who stood out rather than blended in.
Mori went on to outfit Hollywood superstars like Grace Kelly and notable figures like Nancy Reagan. In 1993, Japan’s then-Crown Princess Masako wore a Hanae Mori wedding gown for her wedding to Emperor Naruhito.
Her ensembles, which frequently featured butterfly prints, were equally popular with professional women. When she began to build a reputation for herself in the fashion industry, it was still uncommon for a woman to head a firm, let alone one with global renown.
Mori’s designs frequently combined aspects from the East and West, such as kimono-inspired outfits.
In 1985, she designed costumes for a production of “Madame Butterfly.” She also designed costumes for traditional Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre, as well as for “Madame Butterfly.”
The French government honored her with the Legion of Honor in 2002.
In January, the designer mused about the fashion industry in a Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper piece.
She remarked, “Fashion is something that challenges you, gives you the courage to extend your wings, and enables you to have adventures.”
Ken Mori, Mori’s spouse of nearly 50 years, passed away in 1996; she is survived by two sons. Hikari Mori and Izumi Mori, two of her granddaughters, are fashion models.
