Yukata, a collaboration between stylist Sota Yamaguchi and Tokyo designer brands, are now on sale at Isetan Shinjuku and textile manufacturer HINAYA KYOTO.
Fashion Headline spoke with ANREALAGE designer Kunihiko Morinaga, who participated in this project, about the future of yukata.
--What Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques did you incorporate this time? And why did you choose them?
The design was based on the concept of "transforming the flat into three-dimensional form." The new three-dimensional concept of "yukata" questions the idea that a flat surface should be flat, and the upper half of the yukata is three-dimensional.
The yukata, with its extreme contours, appears three-dimensional when displayed, but when worn, it loses its three-dimensional contours and transforms into a yukata with draping.

Because the upper body is sewn in a three-dimensional manner, it can be worn in an orthodox style by hiding the looseness with the hem, or it can be worn with a playful silhouette, like Western clothing.

--What is the biggest difference between designing Western clothing and yukata?

Yukatas have flat patterns and focus on the bones, while Western clothing has three-dimensional patterns and focuses on the flesh. As seen in the clothing of ancient Greece and Rome, Western fashion has valued the virtue of wrapping a single piece of fabric around the body and creating overlapping pleats, while Western fashion has valued a flat silhouette that focuses on the bones, worn around the shoulders and tied at the waist.

--What challenges did you face when actually creating a yukata, and what new discoveries did you make?

The fact that even the same color can have relative meaning. If the upper body has five crests, a plain one would be considered "mourning clothing" for funerals and memorial services, while one with a patterned hem would be considered "tomesode" for celebratory occasions.

--What message do you want to convey with this yukata design?

There is only one standard pattern for a yukata. Unlike Western clothing, which has a variety of silhouettes, the format is the same. I saw potential in the fact that this same format can be shared by a variety of bodies.


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Born in Tokyo in 1980. Graduated from Waseda University and Vantan Design Institute. Began working in 2003. In 2005, won the Avant-Garde Grand Prize at GEN ART 2005, a competition for new designers in New York. Has participated in Tokyo Collection since 2006. In 2011, won the 29th Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix New Designer Award and Shiseido Encouragement Award. The exhibition "A COLOR UN COLOR" will be held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa from July 12th.