MANAKO JOURNAL

Essays on Dress, Culture and the Spaces Between

recent posts

Category: Fashion after Production

  • Possession and Its Traces: a Garment Outlives Its Owner 

    The concept that possession is self-expansion of identity (Belk, 1988) has been featured in academic studies that explore the relationship between a wearer and one’s choice of clothing. Especially, for those who love second-hand or vintage garments, collecting and wearing not-current products bring something special to enhance their identity.   Roux (2006) classifies four types of motives why such people choose vintage or used clothing: the…

  • What Does a Woman Artist Wear to Work?: Wardrobe at the Atelier

    Where does fashion actually happen? Charlie Porter’s What Artists Wear sets out to articulate a lesser-told realm of “fashion” — one found not on the runway, but in artists’ wardrobes. I first encountered Porter’s book in Japanese translation 「アーティストが服を着る理由」 published in the summer of 2025. Porter explores distinctive and personal dimensions in various artists’ appearances.…

  • Kazuo Ohno: The Antique Lady’s Dress on Aging Man’s Body

    “How graceful Kazuo Ohno is, dancing in an antique dress.” ── Kazuko Shiraishi, Those Who Paddle Out into Space: A Canoe, a Logbook of a Voyage, 1977 Kazuo Ohno (1906 -2010) was one of the most impressive performers who pioneered Japanese avant-garde dance called “舞踏 (Butoh)”. His performances become renowned internationally at Festival de Nancy…