To coincide with the opening of Tradition/Rebellion: Coming-of-Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan, exhibition co-curator Yamaguchi Souta offers insights into how fashion can contribute to culture and everyday life through his diverse body of work.

With roots in Japanese street fashion, Yamaguchi has been active for nearly two decades as a stylist and fashion director. Alongside his work in fashion, he has led a wide range of projects spanning retail, exhibitions, events, and product development in collaboration with companies, manufacturers, and craftspeople.

Throughout his career, he has worked on a variety of initiatives, including serving as Creative Director for KANSAI YAMAMOTO, curating a retrospective exhibition of fashion designer Kenzo Takada, and contributing to the design of attire worn by staff at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games medal ceremonies. In recent years, Yamaguchi has worked on a project creating garments tailored to people with disabilities. Connecting historic Japanese clothes with contemporary creativity, he has explored new approaches to fashion, craftsmanship and design.

In this talk, Yamaguchi reflects on key projects from across his career and explores how his broad creative vision informed his approach to Tradition/Rebellion. He discusses how engagement with young people participating in Kitakyushu’s coming-of-age ceremony, as well as with the creative practices behind its distinctive culture, helped shape the exhibition.