The Fabulous Universe of Tomo Koizumi (O Fabuloso Universo de Tomo Koizumi) (Touring)

The Iberê Foundation , in an unprecedented partnership with Japan House São Paulo , presents, in Porto Alegre, the exhibition “The fabulous universe of Tomo Koizumi”. The show, designed by Japan House São Paulo, proposes a perspective of contemporary fashion under the eyes of an artist who shies away from traditional trends and dares with his striking pieces. Thirteen surprising creations by the young stylist Tomo Koizumi will be presented , a revelation at New York Fashion Week 2019 and which has been gaining respect and admiration in the fashion world .The designer stands out for creations famous for their enchantment, in unique productions made with 50m to 200m of Japanese organza each, with extravagant colors and volumes, which represent his universe full of references in traditional arts and Japanese pop culture. With the support of the Consulate General of Japan in Porto Alegre, the initiative to present the works of Tomo Koizumi in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul is due to the itinerant project of the Japanese institution, started this year through collaborations with the main cultural organizations in the country.

Born in the province of Chiba, the 32-year-old dress designer was discovered by the owner of a retail store who was enchanted by the clothes he produced, even when he was a university student. He founded his brand “Tomo Koizumi” and, before his rise to the world of international haute couture, he worked as a costume designer for several Japanese designers. In 2016, she had one of her pieces worn by Lady Gaga during a visit to Japan. In late 2018, Koizumi’s career took off when her Instagram profile (@tomokoizumi ) was discovered by Katie Grand (at the time, chief editor of English magazine LOVE) , who was fascinated by her work, orchestrating a fashion show at New York Fashion Week (2019) with the support of Marc Jacobs and a great weight team. Tomo Koizumi took his voluminous and colorful dresses to the catwalk, surprising the public and becoming prominent in the main press vehicles and social networks around the world.

The individual exhibition reveals the essence of Tomo Koizumi’s look, through ten iconic pieces from the stylist’s 2019 and 2020 collections. For the show in Brazil, three exclusive pieces were also created, mixing references from our Carnival and traditional Japanese kimonos . In addition, the exhibition features a video of Tomo’s last show, held at Tokyo Fashion Week, allowing the visitor to glimpse the strength and drama that it is to wear a designer’s piece. Finally, intimate clippings of his career and creative process are present in the exhibition space on a mural, which contains everything from reference images that served as inspiration for his collections, to personal photos taken by the artist in recent years. “Tomo Koizumi is extravagant, surprising, creative, vibrant. His pieces are the perfect meeting of the intimacy of manual work with glamor, sophistication and theatricality. To create high impact pieces, he drinks and mixes traditional and popular Japanese fonts such as manga, robots and the Lolita style ”, comments Natasha Barzaghi Geenen, Cultural Director of Japan House São Paulo and curator of the show, which has an exhibition project by Metro Arquitetos office.

For the director-superintendent of the Foundation, Emilio Kalil, the show will mark the beginning of the creation process of the Department of Fashion, Design and Architecture, three new pillars that support the institution. “The Iberê Foundation has the architecture of Álvaro Siza, awarded the Golden Lion at the 2002 Venice Architecture Biennale; the furniture designed by the architect in wood and used by the team and the public of the institution, in addition to the prints and dresses signed by Iberê Camargo, in the 1960s. Tomo’s exhibition is the key to giving visibility to this material wealth and to the new department ”, highlights Kalil.

Headquartered on Avenida Paulista, Japan House São Paulo is an institution that presents and disseminates Japanese culture in its various aspects and, in this new institutional phase, highlights as one of its objectives the geographical expansion as an integration platform for Brazil and all of America Latin. “It is an immense pleasure to be with the Iberê Foundation in this new chapter of our trajectory and to count on this valuable partnership to bring the public of Rio Grande do Sul a little more from Japan today.”, Celebrates Eric Klug, President of Japan House São Paulo.

Aimed at all ages and with accessibility features like pounds and audio description, the exhibition “The fabulous universe of Tomo Koizumi” promises to captivate both fashion lovers and the general public, attracted by the look of a young artist who shies away from traditional trends and dare in every cut of fabric. Finalist of the LVMH award in February 2020, Tomo Koizumi is today considered one of the leading young designers in Japan and the world, not only for creating dresses disputed by international celebrities for gala and red carpet events , but also for daring in pieces that are true works of art.

Touring

Japan House São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, 20 October 2020 – 17 January 2021

Fundação Iberê, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 16 April 2021 – 23 May 2021