MAKING OF THE STARMAN

Kansai Yamamoto, the Fashion Designer Who Helped Transform Bowie Into Ziggy Stardust, Dies at 76

Kansai Yamamoto designed countless outrageous outfits for David Bowie, including costumes for the 1973 “Aladdin Sane” tour.

Kansai Yamamoto, the fashion designer behind some of David Bowie’s most iconic looks, has died at the age of 76, his daughter has said. In an Instagram post, Mirai Yamamoto said her father “left this world peacefully, surrounded by loved ones,” and described him as “not only the eclectic and energetic soul that the world knew him as, but someone who was also thoughtful, kind-hearted, and affectionate.” His career-defining collaboration with Bowie began in the ’70s after the rock legend took a liking to his womenswear designs. “Luckily David had a very slim body and they fit him very well,” Yamamoto told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2016. Yamamoto made countless outrageous outfits for Bowie, including for the 1973 “Aladdin Sane” tour, and helped bring the Ziggy Stardust persona to life. “Some sort of chemical reaction took place: My clothes became part of David, his songs and his music,” Yamamoto said in the interview. Yamamoto died of acute myeloid leukemia last week and his funeral has already taken place, according to a report from CNN.