CLOTHES, right down to the fibres in their fabrics, are steeped in stories of the humans that once wore them.
Nothing proves this point more than the V&A Dundee’s new temporary exhibition, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, which uses the now ubiquitous kimono to explore Japanese history, fashion and society from the early 17th century to the present day.
Curated by the V&A’s keeper of the Asian department, Anna Jackson, this show displays hundreds of kimonos from T-shaped hangers, giving them a canvas-like squareness so visitors can better admire the whole of their intricate patterns and embroidery.
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Whether it’s a kimono designed for a special ceremony or daily tasks, every word, colour and decorative illustration holds symbolic significance, telling us something about the merchants, samurai, shoguns or oiran (courtesans) who would have donned the garments.
These contextual details reveal fascinating truths and details about Japan’s class system through the centuries, and how the country has influenced and been influenced by the rest of the world.
Split into three main sections – Kimono In Japan, Kimono In The World and Kimono Transformed – the exhibition follows a very similar layout to when it was originally displayed (but sadly cut short due to lockdowns) at the V&A in London.
While the sheer quantity of kimono on display (including a handful of specially commissioned creations) provides plenty of visual appeal, it’s the accompanying prints, paintings, ceramics and accessories that elevate this exhibition from being a fashion archive to a historical guide through Japan’s prosperous Edo period (1603-1868) and its darker post-war years.
Extensive object captions throughout reveal fascinating facts about how artisanal practices evolved over time, as well as the impact of Dutch shipping imports (which introduced British and Indian textiles to Japan), and how sumptuary laws imposed by the ruling military class saw merchants and lower class citizens banned from using certain colours and patterns in their kimono.
A selection of bold patterned pieces from the early 20th century, which the curators claim mirror national confidence in Japan at the time, are displayed in an impressive, multi-levelled mirrored installation.
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One notable piece in this room has a rose and lattice print stylistically akin to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School.
While Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk’s opening in Dundee may not be its first public display, a handful of artefacts (including the aforementioned Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired kimono) will have a particularly strong resonance in Scotland.
Newly added for this run is a particular Japanese nightgown dating back to the early 1700s on loan from the National Trust of Scotland.
Said to have belonged to Sir James Dalrymple (who lived in Newhailes House just outside Edinburgh), this piece is the only one of its kind to have survived in Britain and was probably acquired in the Netherlands, the only Western country at that time with access to Japanese goods.
In the final room, where pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Rei Kawakubo and John Galliano all hang on mannequins over a circular mirror, we see the kimono’s influence on modern popular culture.
From a robe worn by Freddie Mercury to costume designs from Star Wars and album artwork by Bjork, it’s evident how far the kimono has travelled both conceptually and geographically throughout human history.
Showing the combined product of tradition, nationalism and globalisation that has stood the test of time, this exhibition proves the kimono is a fashion staple as timeless as they come.
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk is at the V&A Dundee until January 5, 2025
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