YOSHIKI's fashion brand YOSHIKIMONO has been chosen to be displayed at the V&A Museum in London during Europe’s first major kimono exhibition.
Opening February 29th, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk features YOSHIKIMONO alongside works from prominent fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano. The exhibition
will run until June 21st. Information on admission is available here.
The kimono is often viewed as one of the ultimate symbols of Japan. It is perceived as traditional, timeless, and unchanging. The exhibition aims to challenge this conception, presenting the garment as a "dynamic and constantly evolving icon
of fashion".
"YOSHIKI breathes new life into the kimono with his rock'n'roll sensibility and we are excited to include his work in the exhibition. The innovative approach taken by YOSHIKIMONO, particularly with regard to styling, shows how versatile the garment
can be," said Anna Jackson, the exhibition's curator.
Highlights of the exhibition also include a kimono created by
Living National Treasure
Kunihiko Moriguchi, the dress designed for Björk by Alexander McQueen and worn on the album cover Homogenic, design works from the Hollywood film "Memoirs of
a Geisha", and original "Star Wars" costumes modelled on kimono by John Mollo and Trisha Biggar.
YOSHIKI is the eldest son of kimono creators, but he chose to pursue a music career instead of taking up the family business. Reached for comment about the exhibition, he had the following to say:
"It’s such an honor to be part of this exhibition. I feel grateful not only for my brand YOSHIKIMONO being part of it, but grateful for the entire kimono industry coming into the spotlight."
"Kimono is as traditional as you can get in Japan, a country which most people consider to be conservative," he added. "I would like to keep tradition, and at the same time I’d like to break the unwritten laws the industry has made, which keep
them confined within their own boundaries."
YOSHIKIMONO opened Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo 2020 S/S last year with a dramatic stage presentation that aimed to show off the traditional garment’s possibilities in today’s fashion scene.
