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Life

Hanae Mori (森 英恵 Mori Hanae, January 8, 1926 -) Hanae Mori did her literature at Tokyo Christian Women University but she could not complete it due to World War II. Once the war got over she resumed her studies but before she could graduate she got married to a textile manufacturer. After her marriage Hanae Mori realised that she had lot of ample time in her hands and not the one to sit idle she joined fashion design.

Career

In 1951, she started her own costume design business. Her silk chiffon tulip and lotus print gowns are reputed to be worn by many celebrities as Iran's Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, Monaco's Princess Grace, The philipines Imelda Marcos and japan's crown pricess Michiko. Her inspirations were drawn mostly from the great traditions of her country's art and culture. She used to bring out beautiful designs using silk materials particularly chiffon, based on the kimono designing. She combined simplicity with elegance and did not believe in chasing the fashion of the day. She set high value on the beauty of the kimono, as she believed it is capable on presenting feminine elegance more eloquently thanthe exposure of hot pants or minis.

International Career

In 1960 Hanae Mori met Coco Chanel who advised her to try her hand at haute couture. She became the first japanese designer to achieve international couture success. While designing dresses she took into account first of all the colour desires of her customers and then strived to create harmony in the colour arrangement. She held butterflies as an ideal model beacuse she said they have a chic figure, fine colouring and delicate elegance. Her showing in New York and other places received lavish praise for combining oriental gracefulness with western showyness. Among her most received designs was a dress having long sleeves, remindful of the long sleeves of kimono for young girls.In 1977, Hanae Mori also became the first Japanese member of the Chambre Syndicale de la haute couture , the French governing body of top fashion houses.

As Japan's top class designer her showing were shipped to Canada, USA, Soviet Union, Iran, India and countries of europe. Besides creation of haute couture and Pret-a-Porter, she designed uniforms for leading Japaneses business firms. She also designed clothes for Handicrafts and handloom corporation of India.

Retirement

At the age of 78 Hanae Mori announced her retirement with her last haute couture collection on July 7, 2004.

Boutiques

Today, Hanae Mori boutiques offering women's and men's collections are located in the Hotel Okura in Tokyo and in the city's Harajuku area. The Hanae Mori empire today includes a licensed fragrance division, Hanae Mori Parfums, which produces in France several acclaimed fragrances including Hanae Mori Butterfly for women, HM for Men and Hanae Mori Magical Moon for women. Hanae Mori Parfums are widely distributed throughout the United States at stores including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Sephora as well as in Canada at Holt Renfrew stores, in Europe and South America.

Fashion Designers