The famous Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori died at the age of 96 in Japan

Hane Mori, the Japanese fashion designer who broke through the world of French haute couture half a century ago, has died at the age of 96, her office announced on Thursday.

Nicknamed “Madame Butterfly” for her signature style, Mori was seen as a symbol of Japan as a modern, fashionable country and a pioneer for the country’s women.

She designed wedding dresses for Grace Kelly and Nancy Reagan, as well as the current Japanese empress Masako.

Her career moved from Tokyo to New York and Paris where she began making costumes for cinema. In the year In 1977, her label became the first Asian fashion house to join the rarefied ranks of haute couture.

Her global empire expanded into perfumes, handbags and prints, and her umbrellas and scarves, often decorated with colorful butterflies, became a status symbol for working women.

Mori was born in Born in Shimane Prefecture in western Japan in 1926, she studied literature at Tokyo Women’s Christian University before becoming a designer. After opening her first atelier above a noodle shop in Tokyo, she began specializing in designs for movie stars.

Her rapidly expanding business reflected the breakneck pace of Japan’s post-economic growth in the 1960s when her business partner and textile executive husband encouraged her to try her luck in the fashion capitals of Paris and New York.

“That was a turning point for me,” she says of those visits, including her encounter with Coco Chanel in her Paris studio.

The French designer suggested she wear something bright orange to contrast with her black hair.

“The whole concept of Japanese beauty is based on concealment,” Mori said in an interview with The Washington Post about the meeting. “I suddenly realized that I had to change my approach and dress to help a woman stand out.”

In the year In 1965, Mori showed her first collection abroad, in New York, under the theme “East meets West.” Her designs combine traditional motifs such as cranes and cherry blossoms – along with her trademark butterflies – with Western styles.

In the year She created stage costumes for the 1985 production of “Madame Butterfly” at La Scala in Milan, and exhibited her collections in Japan and abroad for decades until her retirement in 2004.

By mixing traditional Japanese kimono into a dress, Mori designed the uniforms for Japan Airlines flight attendants and the Japanese team for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Mori’s office said she died on Thursday, August 11, at her home in Tokyo. The cause of death was not disclosed.

She is best remembered for the white rose-embellished gown she designed for Masako to marry Prince Naruhito of Japan in 1993. Years for Noah and Kabuki Theater.

Her designs aside, Mori became a formidable businesswoman – a rarity in Japan – and in 1986 became the first female member of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.

Looking back on the early years of her marriage, she said that she was never invited with her husband’s friends. “Japan used to be a country of gentlemen,” she said, according to the Kyodo news agency. “I wanted to be different.”

In recognition of her contribution to the arts, Mori received an official recognition of her achievements from the Japanese government in 1988. In the year In 2002, she was awarded France’s most prestigious decoration, the Legion of Honor, with the rank of officer.

“She was a fashion pioneer in Japan. She shaped what it meant to be a designer when the industry was not established,” fashion curator and researcher Akiko Fukai told Kyodo.

Being the first Japanese woman to be listed as a haute couture designer in Paris at the pinnacle of the fashion world means she is internationally recognized. She left a big mark.”

Morey has two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, her office said. Her husband, Ken Morey, died in 1996.