Hanae Mori is the only Asian designer accepted as a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
Hanae Mori studied Japanese literature at Tokyo Woman's Christian College. After her marriage, she began studying design and opened her first studio in Tokyo in 1951. She soon became involved in the growing post-war film industry, designing costumes for more than a hundred films.
In 1965 she presented her first collection abroad in New York, which was highly regarded as "East meets West". Prestigious stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and I. Magnin recognized the individuality of her design and ordered her dresses. In 1975 she presented her collection in Paris, where she opened her Haute Couture Maison in 1977.
Madame Mori's achievements include costume designs for the opera "Madame Butterfly" at La Scala in Milan in 1985, and for "Elektra" at the Salzburger Festspiele in 1996. She also designed the costumes for the "Cinderella" of the Paris Opera Ballet, directed by Rudolf Nureyev in 1986.
In addition to her success as an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, Hanae Mori is recognized as a pioneer of Japanese working women and has served on many government committees as a consultant.
She was named "Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur" in France and in 1996 received the "Order of Culture" in Japan.