Ryunosuke Okazaki: Fashion through the Prism of Posthuman and Affect Theories

This paper analyses Ryunosuke Okazaki’s designs in relation to understandings of the Human within both 18th Century ‘Western’ philosophy as well as contemporary theories of the feminine sublime [1]. Positioning the human in this way, Okazaki’s work comments on mankind’s relationship to nature as well as technology, referencing his own spirituality to conjure notions of the sublime. Fashion here becomes an ideal medium through which to challenge contemporary understandings of humanity and the human form in relation to gender and sexuality, as well as question the human desire for mass production and consumption. Beginning with an exploration of Okazaki’s material work and their construction processes, I go on to examine visual representations of their work within magazines (Metal, attitude) as well as on the runway. This application foregrounds Okazaki’s emotional connection to their work, which promotes a revaluation of fashion as disposable and suggests instead that we, as viewers and consumers, adopt an appreciation for the natural world, elements of which are almost always referenced within Okazaki’s designs. This paper, through consideration of Okazaki’s spiritual approach, investigates tradition alongside developments in technology and the role that fashion plays in this symbiosis.