The goal wasn’t to recreate a kimono, but to reinterpret it. Borrowing its structure and symbolism, Harper imagined how those ideas might live on a modern athlete at Wimbledon. It was this idea that led him to Yagi, whose practice centres on working with retired ceremonial garments that, she says, “carry memory, emotion and history.”
“The starting point was the idea of ‘Evolving Ceremony,’” Yagi says of the concept behind the look. “The garment is constructed from vintage shiromuku [traditional Japanese bridal garments], kimono and wedding dresses—ceremonial garments originally created to mark important moments in people’s lives.”
The finished piece is composed of detachable layers that gradually disappear as Osaka prepares to compete, making transformation part of the garment itself. “I wanted the garment to exist as the moment before performance,” Yagi explains. “The walk-on surrounds Naomi in ceremony, while the Nike kit represents the athlete in competition. I thought about them as two chapters within the same story.”
Photo: Sebastian Arriagada
Photo: Sebastian Arriagada
That dialogue continues beneath the outer layer. Osaka’s Nike dress draws on kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, with precise cut lines and a series of three-dimensional floral appliqués, allowing the walk-on and performance kit to feel like two expressions of the same creative vision.
For all of its symbolism and craftsmanship, each detail also had to perform in practical terms. “Unlike a runway show, these garments exist for only a few minutes, Harper says. “Naomi has to transition from ceremony to competition in well under a minute, so every creative decision also has to solve a technical problem.”
Photo: Adam Kudeimati
