Nisei Week hosts “Kimono Couture,” a fashion event featuring kimono fashions for men and women, on Sunday, July 27, at 3 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum.
Organizer Dulcie Ogi Kawata explained, “It will be something a bit different from the prior fashion shows: no luncheon, no boutique but an exciting ‘fashion week’ type show.”
There will also be a sake tasting happy hour after the show with photo opportunities with the models in kimono.
The fashion event will feature the designs of Sueko Oshimoto, who is trained in traditional kimono dressing but is also a fashion-forward costume designer. She was the kimono stylist for “The Wolverine” starring Hugh Jackman and more recently, the new Sean Paul music video and a commercial in Japan featuring Miranda Kerr in kimono. Her designs will give you a glimpse of where she is taking kimono dressing today.
Oshimoto is very conscious of how the youth of Japan are wearing kimono now and will also show some Harajuku-inspired styles.
“I think Sueko’s kimono stylings will reintroduce the allure and beauty of kimono with a fresh and slightly provocative point of view. It will be very exciting to see up close and personal,” Ogi Kawata said.
The fashion event will also include Kanna Yamauchi’s clothing line Yokang (http://en.yokang.jp/). Yamauchi is from Okinawa and incorporates the traditional hand dyed fabric technique known as bingata into her designs. She will create special dresses for the 2014 Nisei Week Court and the court will make an appearance in Yokang at the end of the show. Her fashion line will soon be available at the high-fashion H. Lorenzo boutique in Hollywood.
Internationally acclaimed paper sculpture artist Jeff Nishinaka (www.jeffnishinaka.com) will create magnificent sculptures that will gracefully hang from high atop Aratani Central Hall. Nishinaka’s artistry has been featured in previous Nisei Week festivals with his sculptures appearing on two official posters.
General seating: $50. For more information, call the Nisei Week office at (213) 687-7193 or email office@niseiweek.org.