Katsuyuki Yoshida is a giant star who has had a profound influence on the world of bags and apparel in Japan and around the world.PORTER CLASSICHe is a one-of-a-kind creator who has devoted himself to preserving the stitching culture for future generations.
KATSU - Yoshida Katsuyuki's Words to Leave Behind -, a program documenting the words of Yoshida Katsuyuki, who has consistently upheld the "made in Japan" concept throughout his career, will be broadcast on BS Fuji.
Asakusa, Paris, London, New York. The program will capture his activities on camera over the course of several years, documenting the words he encountered along the way.
Recently, there have been many documentaries on the air, but are there really that many people in the world who should be closely followed? However, even among such programs, there is one that is aired once every few years that is truly remarkable, and Katsuyuki Yoshida is certainly one such person.
It would be a must-see hour anyway, not only for those involved in fashion, but also for those who are not.
It was 1947, shortly after the war.
Born the third son of a bag maker in Kanda, Tokyo, he was baptized in various cultures that came from overseas one after another as a boy. He traveled all over the world, including England, France, and the United States. In the course of his travels, he became keenly aware of the fact that he was Japanese. At the same time, he became aware of his own soul and pride as a creator.
The vivid counterculture encountered around the world. Intense exchanges with creators of the same generation. The bags, which were created with a global and contemporary sensibility cultivated through these travels, were filled with new ideas that no one had ever seen before. They were overwhelmingly accepted not only by fashion-conscious young Japanese, but also by highly-sensitive people around the world. And the man became a legend.
Katsuyuki Yoshida's last life's work, which he poured his heart and soul into, was the stitching technique.
Sashiko is a type of fabric made by people living in cold climates, in which hemp or cotton cloth is stitched in fine stitches on top of each other for warmth and reinforcement, and the clothes made of this fabric. Katsuyuki had a fateful encounter with the Sashiko culture when he visited a museum in Yamori. He was struck by the strength of the technique, which was born from the wisdom of life, and the artistic beauty of the technique itself.
Ancient Japanese traditional culture. A global sensibility with a thorough knowledge of the counterculture. The products born from the fusion of these elements, like the bags he has made in the past, are full of surprise and beauty that no one has ever seen before, and they approach the viewer. They are more than products, they are pieces of art.
It was the culmination of a human creation by Katsuyuki Yoshida, a native of downtown Tokyo, who worked with the next generation of makers and craftspeople to produce work that will be handed down to his grandchildren.
Asakusa, Paris, London, New York. The program follows Katsuyuki's activities over several years, documenting the words he encounters along the way.
KATSU - Yoshida Katsuyuki's legacy
Air Date: March 27, 2021 ( Sat ) 25:00-26:00
Broadcasting station: BS Fuji