Japanese fashion designer/artist/original creator Yoshikazu Yamagata (山縣 良和), a graduate of Central Saint Martins (2005), was awarded Curator Winner for Japan's exhibition 超日本 - J BLOW - 2014 in the International Fashion Showcase 2014 in which 27 countries took part. Hand-picked by international superstar designer and producer Kansai Yamamoto, Yoshikazu challenges the definitions of fashion and expands the concept of fashion beyond the garments themselves. He is also keen to foster new creative talent and created a new educational hub in Japan. He has his own label writtenafterwards. “Yoshikazu Yamagata is a fashion activity expressing freely a new kind of fashion”.

This year's Showcase Winner was Estonia and Hyein Seo (Republic of Korea) was awarded Designer Winner. For more details about the awards, click here.

超日本 - J BLOW – 2014 can be seen at the Embassy of Japan until midday on 21 February. Curated by Yoshikazu Yamagata it features six young Japanese designers either trained in London at Central Saint Martins or in Japan at Vantan Design Institute. The exhibition is open from 09:30 until 17:30 on weekdays. Admission is free.

The exhibition is a part of the British Council and British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase 2014 in parallel with London Fashion Week. It has been made possible with the generous support of Kansai Yamamoto, Inc., Central Saint Martins and All Nippon Airways.

JICC