ISLAND STYLE
Artist's work blossoms into a fashion show

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Radasha Ho'ohuli, who represented Hawai'i at the Miss World pageant, models a silk outfit by Amos Kotomori, rear. He will display his designs at a Saturday show. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser 'Hanamatsuri' Fashion show and luncheon, part of the 50th Cherry Blossom Festival 10 a.m. boutique sales; 11 a.m. lunch and presentation; 1 p.m. fashion show Saturday Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom $35, $45 Reservations: 949-2255 Ticket information: cbforders@yahoo.com Proceeds benefit Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation

Case in point: When the McKinley and University of Hawai'i graduate prepared his thesis for a master's degree in allied arts from the University of Oregon, surprising (and sometimes even shocking) structures started appearing around the campus.

In the dead of winter, in the middle of the night, the artist permanently known as Amos erected nine enormous towers of ice, along the lines of Stonehenge, and simply left them to melt in mystery through the day.

Another thesis project involved driving five Volkswagen bugs into the lobby of the architecture building and linking them with a string of men's ties. Kotomori, in black tuxedo and white face, blew whistles and directed traffic around the cars. (Yes, numerous parking citations did ensue.)

Though the thesis may have seemed off kilter to some, Kotomori graduated magna cum laude. And there was a reason to the strange rhyme: Communicating the principles of education in a visual, though extreme, manner.

It's not surprising, then, that those attending "Hanamatsuri," Kotomori's fashion show honoring the 50th Cherry Blossom Festival, can expect to be surprised. And that the show will be based on a message close to the artists' heart.

A broad background in art

While Kotomori's name may be most familiar in fashion circles, his background is much broader.

At UH he received two bachelor of fine arts degrees, in textiles and ceramics.

He was known for hand-painting textiles with brooms, mops i anything that would create a bold image. However, he became frustrated when people used his textiles for wall hangings, because "my intent was for them to become garments," he said. "They were meant to be cut so there would be an interesting juxtaposition of the pattern changes. But people weren't doing that, so I picked up the scissors myself and started cutting holes and shapes and sewing them up to make garments."

Later, Kotomori was offered a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship to study curatorship at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Art education has always been a passion for Kotomori, and he has taught every age group, from preschool to University of Hawai'i students. In the early '80s, he was art director for the Honolulu Parks and Recreation Department.

As a respected stylist (the guy behind the scenes who does hair, makeup, props and whatever else is required to create the perfect picture) for television commercials and print advertisements, Kotomori received acclaim from his peers when he was named 1998 Ad Person of the Year by the Honolulu Advertising Federation. He also received the coveted Clio Award, a national advertising accolade, for his work styling print materials for Jantzen swimwear.

He owns Amos Kotomori Production Services, coordinating commercials, advertising, special events and weddings.

He also is training young women to enter beauty and scholarship pageants, having recently returned from the Miss World pageant in South Africa with Radasha Ho'ohuli of Nanakuli. Now he is grooming her for the Miss Hawai'i pageant.

Missing from the scene

Kotomori always seems to have his hand in fashion in some form. For a decade ending in the late 1990s, he ran his own successful modeling agency, then surprising Hawai'i's fashion folk by shutting down despite a thriving business. "I found I had stopped dreaming my own dreams because I was trying to fulfill everyone else's dreams, so it was time to take a break," he said, sighing.

Kotomori disappeared from the fashion scene for several years after closing his agency.

Where was he? Attending the New York Film Academy, founded by Robert DeNiro. Why? "As a stylist, I wanted to know what everyone else did on the set. I thought it would help me become a better stylist," Kotomori said. With the school's hands-on approach, he learned what it feels like to be the director, cameraman and grip.

He is using this new knowledge on a couple of independent films for himself: "My Mother's Words" and "24-Hour Drag i Different by Choice" as well as a co-production with artist Linda Ching called "Trickster."

Now for the big show

The elements of surprise and eclecticism will be evident when Kotomori's models take to the runway in this weekend's Cherry Blossom fashion show. The artist/designer is calling the show "Hanamatsuri," which literally means "flower festival." Kotomori interprets the flowers as all the women in our lives who have made us who we are.

The 101 pieces in the collection have been lovingly sewn by his mother, Tamayo Kotomori, and her long-time friend, Florence Teruya. "It's really a collaboration among the three of us. I'm just the seed," Kotomori said. "They watered me."

The show's surprises will include international entertainment: Hawaiian chanting by Robert Cazimero and Puakea Nogelmeier, Darren Miyashiro playing koto, Nueva Vida, an interpretive dance to John Lennon's "Imagine" by Radasha Ho'ohuli, opera singers and Butoh actors.

The collection is eclectic, as well. Kotomori's signature hand-painted fabrics will share the runway with batiks from Bali, tie-dyes from Africa, blue faille knits from New York and shibori silks hand-dyed in India. Styles will range from the most practical everyday dresses to flights of fancy and over-the-top wedding gowns.

The philosopher/designer has injected a lot of himself into this collection. "There's a good thought and feeling that goes into every garment, and it only comes to life when a person wears it," he explained.

Does this multi-talented artist ever suffer from "starving-artist syndrome"? Apparently not.

"Finances always work themselves out," Kotomori said in his zen-like manner. "I look at it as a number that's replenishable. You can deplete it, but you can always get it back. It's how you see that number that matters most. Just don't put the zeros on the wrong side of the decimal point."