Journal of Fashion Business (패션비즈니스)

The Korean Society of Fashion Business (한국패션비즈니스학회)
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Analysis of Rei Kawakubo's Designs Through the Lacanian Jouissance

라캉의 주이상스 개념을 통한 레이 가와쿠보의 디자인 분석

  • 허가영 (평택대학교, 패션디자인및브랜딩학과)
  • Received : 2024.11.01
  • Accepted : 2024.11.15
  • Published : 2024.11.30
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Abstract

This study aimeds to reinterpret Jacques Lacan's concept of jouissance as a creative driving force in contemporary fashion design and to analyze Rei Kawakubo's radical designs through this lens. Lacan's jouissance is a complex concept that, transcends general pleasure theory. It has gained attention in sociocultural contexts where conventional phenomena are difficult to explain. This approach has proven especially valuable in analyzing artistic developments that defy interpretation through existing aesthetic theories. In this research, I derived three aspects of jouissance: 'pleasure of pain', 'pleasure of forbidden', and 'pleasure of lack'. I then used them to analyzed Rei Kawakubo's designs. Specifically, I systematically analyzed Kawakubo's avant-garde and unconventional designs appearing in each collection by interpreting baffle and uncomfortable designs as 'pleasure of pain', departure from existing fashion conventions as 'pleasure of forbidden', and infinite creative drive as 'pleasure of lack'. Regarding the significance of this study, it explored how the concept of 'pleasure', a fundamental human desire, was reflected in contemporary fashion design. It also presents a new perspective that reinterprets jouissance as a fundamental driving force in fashion design. This approach strengthens the view of fashion design as a medium, reflecting human needs and desires. It can contributes to designers exploring more fundamental sources of inspiration in their creative processes. By introducing a psychoanalytic perspective to fashion design research, this approach is expected to present novel possibilities for interdisciplinary research and contribute to expanding the theoretical horizon of fashion design.

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References

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