Kimono Insights: History of Production and Fashion, Then and Now

Celebrate the arrival of spring by learning about the wonders of the kimono, Japan’s traditional garment, with kimono specialist Ayako Yoshimura. Yoshimura will discuss the history of the garment and its production, as well as the history of its fashion and contemporary trends in kimono-wearing.

The kimono has long been a prominent symbol of Japan. Today the word “kimono” denotes specifically Japan’s traditional garment; but it literally means simply “things to wear,” and thus it was in the past a general term for clothes before the introduction of Western-style clothing. At times representative of the Orient to the West, this traditional garment has borne its high artistic value and cultural significance both inside and outside Japan. Although the kimono ceased to function as everyday attire for the majority of Japanese in the mid-twentieth century, it remains a prominent option for formal attire on special occasions, and enjoys a certain niche popularity as a fashion statement on the part of hobbyist wearers. Please register to receive the meeting link.

About the Lecturer: 

Ayako Yoshimura, Ph.D. is a folklorist and material-culture researcher whose expertise includes the history of kimono fashion. She has provided public talks on kimono-wearing and kimono patterns and symbolism in the Chicago area. Her public outreach work includes the article “A Glimpse of Meiji Kimono Fashion” in Digital Meijis: Revisualizing Modern Japanese History at 150 (University of British Columbia, 2018) and the online talk “Folklore of Kimono—Imaginary Flowers” (with artist Mayumi Lake, Hyde Park Art Center, 2022).