Abstract
The purpose of this study was to comparatively analyze the color characteristics of the Japanese ethnic look advanced by Japanese and western designers in comparison with the actual traditional colors of Japan. The data determining the traditional colors of Japan was collected through a critical apparatus examination of 250 colors and the color data of what determines Japanese ethnic look was collected through an analysis of the clothing appearing in four fashion collections -Paris, Milan, London, and New York- from the 2004 S/S collections to the 2008 F/W collections. For the analysis of these colors, Photoshop was used with an RGB value measuring under 300dpi resolutions. The RGB values were then converted to H V/C values through Munsell Conversion 8.0.3, and they were analyzed using Munsell's 40 Hue and PCCS. The results of this study are as follows: Japanese designers are expressing their own aesthetic theory by designing fashions in traditionally Japanese hues. However, neutral colors and low-chroma tones appear more often than traditional colors. This study illustrates how these designers use color to reflect their inside ideals being oversensitive traditonal ideals. In contrast, western designers reflect more contemporary trends through the use of hues that more clearly reveal their preconception of the colors of the Orient rather than actual traditional Japanese colors. Moreover, these foreign designers tend to approach fashion design by the means of shape rather than color. Japanese designers systematically analyze and apply their own culture to contemporary fashion design. Their efforts serve as a good reference model for research on traditional culture and fashion design.