Relay Column: You Skin Knows What Matters – A Talk About Underwear, Body, and the Self by Yasuko Yamamoto

Encounter with a Post-War Lingerie Designer

In the summer of my third year of college, I stumbled upon Yoko Kamoi[1] as I was reading books about modern and contemporary clothing. A single line read, "Lingerie designer Yoko Kamoi sparked the second lingerie boom." Something about that line struck me, and I asked my mother only to be told, "She's an artist. She had an exhibition in Osaka." As this response was not what I expected, I started researching and became completely fascinated with her.

Yoko Kamoi was a former newspaper reporter who started her career as a lingerie designer in 1955. She wasn't just a typical lingerie manufacturer. She also created books and films focused on lingerie. Besides her lingerie works, she was brimming with multi-skilled talent, painting and dancing flamenco.

The work that significantly persuaded me to shift my research theme to post-war lingerie was "下着ぶんか論" (1958).

At the time Yoko Kamoi started her lingerie business, white lingerie was mainstream. It was rare for women to wear colored underwear. During such times, she held an exhibition at a department store in Osaka, showcasing colorful synthetic fiber lingerie. Kamoi launched her new products with avant-garde methods, proclaiming a message not motivated by outfit traditions or manners, but about choosing what your skin desires. This convinced me despite our different eras.