HANAE MORI – Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori dies at 96

Fashion designer Hanae Mori, known as “Madame Butterfly” for her butterfly motifs and becoming the first Japanese person to become an official “haute couture” designer in Paris in 1977, has died, her studio said. She was 96.

Mori, who gained international recognition for her “East meets West”-themed designs, died on Aug. 11, the studio said, without further details.