Yayoi Kusama: The Polka Dot Queen’s Iconic Impact on Art and Fashion

Ppolka dot queen Yayoi Kusama (94) is perhaps best known for just that: the characteristic polka dots.

Certainly they are the result of hallucinations she has suffered from since childhood. But instead of curing her mental problems, she uses it as a starting point to create art.

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Somewhere between feminism, minimalism, surrealism, pop art and abstract expressionism, she has been recognized not only as one of the most important Japanese artists, but as perhaps the most important living female artist.

At her own request, she lives in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo, Japan. She has done that since 1977. Every day she puts on the fiery red wig over her graying hair and is followed to her studio, which is a stone’s throw away. There she paints from sunrise to sunset.

She grows up in Matsumoto, a city in Nagano outside Tokyo, Japan, and moves to New York in 1958. There she becomes a part of the city’s avant-garde scene throughout the 60s. She has been called Andy Warhol’s female counterpart, but the truth is that she inspired him. And Donald Judd. Joseph Cornell. And a number of other men.

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All the time, she works from her own neurosis-driven, visual universe, which is gradually characterized by, among other things, polka dots, pumpkins and eternal matrices.

In the late 60s, she starts her own brand “Kusama Enterprises” with dresses and textiles with the characteristic dots.

It is more mainstream when in 2012 she collaborates with Louis Vuitton, with then creative director Marc Jacobs at the helm. The collaboration is a commercial success, and a decade later she is back with the French luxury fashion house.

In a time where the battle for attention is fierce, the 94-year-old polka dot queen is going viral. Completely in line with her universe, and to show her artistic vision, the collaboration also results in a number of installations in stores worldwide. While some praise the stunt, others think it’s just a gimmick.

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Now, Instagram-friendly installations are not exactly something new for the Japanese artist. Her infinity exhibition receives massive media coverage, especially the mirror rooms, where minimal means are used to give maximum effect.

Eternity.

Infinity.

They are not unknown themes in art. Nor in fashion. Because when does fashion go beyond itself? Perhaps when it is made precisely with eternity and infinity in mind. There is something sustainable about it too, as a kind of sign of the times. A testament to the French luxury fashion house’s “savoir-faire” and Kusama’s continued relevance to this day.

In the collection, the polka dots naturally adorn a number of classic designs. Both bags, clothes, shoes and accessories. And the celebrities love it. Supermodel Bella Hadid is the outward face of the collaboration. It is her first campaign for Louis Vuitton.

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“I am not only her biggest fan, and fascinated by her story and life, but I also feel a deep connection to her when it comes to using creative freedom and creation to deal with psychological challenges”, writes the 26-year-old, who herself has was open about his mental health.