What to expect from ‘Kimono’, the NGV’s latest fashion exhibition
IMAGE VIA NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA
AS TOLD TO VIC BAILEY
Discover the rich legacy of the kimono.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has gained a reputation for its curation of highly coveted fashion exhibitions. In recent years, it’s hosted Africa Fashion, a collection of almost 200 works created by designers from over 20 African countries, as well as installations showcasing Alexander McQueen and Gabrielle Chanel. More recently, the NGV presented Kusama, celebrating the works of contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
Running until October, the NGV presents another ambitious fashion exhibition in Kimono. One of the most identifiable Japanese garments, this collection charts the history of the kimono and its influence on both Japanese and global fashion. From pieces worn by samurai during the Edo period to modern Harajuku street styles, this garment has remained an enduring pillar of Japanese design.
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Featuring over 70 kimonos on display, it includes the works of Hiroko Takahashi and Rumi Rock, alongside international fashion houses and designers including Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons, John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen.
Senior Curator of Asian Art at the NGV, Wayne Crothers says Kimono has been a decade in the making. “More than 10 years ago, the NGV began a gradual but dedicated objective to establish a comprehensive collection of kimono works, related fashion accessories and associated objects,” he explains. The result is the largest and most extensive curation of kimonos (and related objects) that has ever been assembled in Australia.
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Fashion Journal: What’s the cultural significance of the kimono?
Wayne: The kimono is one of the most identifiable Japanese art and design objects that represents Japan’s changing visual aesthetics and social trends over the course of over a thousand years. Early styles of Japanese women’s court costumes, known as jūnihitoe (twelve-layer robe), were developed during the Heian period.
However, the earliest forms of kimono we know today were the inner kosode and outer uchikake, worn by the aristocracy from the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) onwards. The opulence of these early styles remains preserved in Noh theatre costumes that were produced during the Edo period (1603 to 1868).
How does this intersect with broader Japanese fashion design?
The kimono structure of four lengths cut from a bolt of fabric and joined together has remained relatively unchanged throughout its history and represents changing public sentiment over numerous generations. Since the late 1860s and the introduction of Western fashion, Japanese people have embraced global attire. However, their enduring sentiment for a unique cultural identity has contributed to the kimono’s relevance as an art form and favoured garment to this day.
Why was this exhibition important to bring to life for an Australian audience?
More than 10 years ago, the NGV began a gradual but dedicated objective to establish a comprehensive collection of kimono works, related fashion accessories and associated objects. This has resulted in the exhibition and a major collection outcome.
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What craftsmanship is present in kimono design?
The NGV exhibition offers a fascinating overview of the use and development of materials used to produce this iconic fashion item. During the Edo period, silk and hemp were used to produce luxury kimono for the samurai class and wealthy merchant families, while various materials like paper, leather, banana leaf fibre and cotton were ingenuously used by the working and farming classes.
How has the kimono changed over the years?
The structural format of kimono has largely remained unchanged, with some designers continuing the traditional dying processes of decoration for high-end kimono production. Some modern designers have incorporated new materials, like stencil dyed and machine woven fabrics, lower grade silks, wool, rayon and more recently, polyester and ink jet printing to produce vibrant kimono for each new young generation.
We’ve seen a lot of fashion labels take inspiration from the kimono, to the extent that it brings up broader questions of cultural appropriation. Why is this problematic and how can this be avoided?
Since the country opened its borders in the mid-nineteenth century, Japanese culture has had a profound impact on Western arts and culture – particularly in fashion. In a similar way, Japanese culture has also been deeply influenced by the West, especially during the Meiji and post-war period when Japan underwent rapid modernisation which, among other things, saw the adoption of Western-style clothing (yofuku).
The exhibition draws attention to this long history of cultural exchange. You can see this in examples of historic and contemporary Western fashion design inspired by the kimono, as well as Japanese garments featuring motifs inspired by Western culture, such as the men’s kimono jacket (haori), which features a playful American baseball motif.
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What can audiences expect from this exhibition?
Audiences can expect a rich visual journey throughout the kimono’s evolution – from the Edo period robes worn by the Samurai class, to the ornate garments of the Noh theatre. The exhibition that explores the artistry of kimono, highlighting the materials and techniques used, and reveals how kimono responded to changing societal values.
It traces the garment’s transformation through the 1920s jazz age and its influence on Western couture, before showcasing its ongoing appeal in contemporary street fashion and high-end design. It is a celebration of form, function and cultural continuity.
Audiences will encounter the evolving and enduring influence of kimono on Western fashions with works dating from 1910 to 2015. They will experience fashions from the post-War period onwards, which showcase the increasing nuance of kimono’s influence, as well as the work of designer’s who were concerned with subverting and redressing Euro-American dress traditions and binaries.
What might surprise us?
Visitors may be surprised by the wide variety of materials used in kimono-making across history. Some of these include unconventional fibres such as paper, leather and banana elm bark fibre. The intricacy of hand-dyeing, weaving and embroidery techniques used to create these garments is also remarkable.
The exhibition presents unexpected moments of cross-cultural influence, such as kimonos featuring Western symbols and global designers including John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, showcasing how they sought inspiration from the kimono’s unique design elements. These examples challenge the influences of kimono as purely traditional and reveal its dynamic role in global fashion narratives.
Talk us through your exhibition highlights.
Some of my personal highlights include a spectacular 19th century wedding uchikake with a tiny shibori tye-dye motif, embroidered with gold and silver thread. I also love the vibrant early Showa-era kimono and how it reflects Japan’s early industrialisation and cultural change, as well as designs by leading contemporary creators such as Jotaro Saito and Hiroko Takahashi.
The exhibition also features accessories, obi sashes and visual materials that place the kimono in the context of daily life, performance and fashion history. Drawn from the NGV Collection, the exhibition offers the most extensive presentation of kimono and related objects ever assembled in Australia.
For tickets to Kimono, head here.
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