⁣ ⁣Adieu Madame Butterfly: Hanae Mori, The Japanese Couturier Who Melded East-West Styles & Discovered Tony Viramontes Has Died In Tokyo At The Age Of 96. ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣The First Asian Woman To Join The Paris Guild Of The Words Foremost Designers, Madame Mori Discovered Tony In New York. She Was Impressed By The Simplicity & Originality Of His Work. “ The Power Of His Brushstroke Was So Strong It Caught Me Immediately. It Was Not Yet Matured, But For One So Young He Was Extremely Sensitive To Trends”.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Mori Offered Tony Some Work & Advised Him To Go To Paris Where She Herself Had An Atelier. She Became His First Patron & Greatest Cheerleader. When Asked By An American Journalist Where She Discovered Tony, Mori Replied “Why In Your Own Backyard.”⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Tony’s Relationship With Mori Was A Perfect Meeting Of East & West. She Treated Him Like A Son & Gave Him The Freedom To Say What He Wanted To Say. There Were No Guidelines; She Saw His Immense Talent & Harnessed It. Tony Not Only Created Illustrations For Her Couture House But Assisted Mori Anonymously In The Creation Of Her Collections, Updating The Chiffon Dresses That Fluttered Gracefully With Her Signature Butterfly Prints. ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣In January This Year She Reflected On Her Career In The Yomiuri Shimbum Newspaper.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣“Fashion Is Something That Pushes You, Gives You Courage To Spread Your Wings & Allows You To Have Adventures.”⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Adieu Madame & Godspeed. ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣©️Tony Viramontes Archive⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣#TonyViramontes #HanaeMori #FashionIllustration #HauteCouture #Japan #MadameButterfly #Butterfly