The Creation of Modern Kimono: KIMONO MAGIC SOCIETY POP UP was held from February 29th to March 4th at Sway Gallery London. Yoshihide Hirayama and Asako Yamamoto from Modern Antenna, Tamao Shigemune from Tamao Shigemune (重宗玉緒), Rumi Shibasaki from Rumi Rock, as well as Narutoshi Ishikawa from iroca, forming the The Kimono Magic Society, were all in attendance, showing off the latest designs from their respective brands. This was a great chance for me to get to know the designers in person, interviewing each of them for my research on contemporary kimono fashion. While united under the banner of ‘kimono as fashion’, every single one of them has a unique outlook and approach, visible in their respective designs pictured below.
The highlight of the pop up was the fashion show held on Sunday March 1st. Kimono influencers Anji Salz and Sheila Cliffe joined the spectacle which was a great chance for the general public to see the designs coordinated and styled on real-life models.
Overall, this was a great event which provided the designers with the opportunity to showcase their skills and share their kimono expertise with people based in the UK. All brands have some of their works featured at the ‘Kimono: From Kyoto to Catwalk‘ show held at the Victoria & Albert Museum, a fantastic exhibition which I will cover in my next post, so stay tuned 🙂
DR CAROLIN BECKE 