Can West Wear East? 

Designer’s Name + Biography:
Eiko Ishioka (1938–2012) was a Japanese art director and designer. She started her career in advertising in Tokyo and became known for her powerful posters for PARCO. Later she worked internationally in film, theater, and music. She won an Academy Award for costume design, but she always called herself a designer.

Cultural/Artistic Context:
In the late 1970s, Japan’s advertising world was very experimental. This PARCO poster shows a dramatic image with Western and Eastern elements. It asked the question “Can West Wear East?” and challenged ideas about fashion and culture.

Associated Info:
The poster was made for PARCO department store. Ishioka’s work for PARCO became legendary in Japanese graphic design history. Today, this poster is in museum collections and is often studied as an example of powerful advertising design.

Image Credit:
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT)