Although the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games have just ended earlier this year, Japan has already been making drastic steps to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. As one of the many sponsors and companies pitching in under hopes to make the games one for the books, Imagine Oneworld, Inc. has begun a project aiming to unify the many cultures of the world while promoting the beauty and craftsmanship of the traditional Japanese kimono.

The Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project is a grand plan to make 196 kimonos representing the participating countries of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, each possessing a design reflecting the unique cultures and characteristics of a specific country. So far, Imagine Oneworld has created kimonos for countries including the United States, Italy, Philippines, India, Qatar, South Africa, and Brazil.

Every kimono is created by a prominent Japanese kimono craftsman and designed in the “Japanese spirit of wa, which means harmony.” The project’s ultimate goal is to promote the idea of “living peacefully together” regardless of differences that come from ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds.

Italy

Philippines

Qatar

United States

India

Brazil

England

South Africa

Bhutan

Lithuania

Visit the Kimono Project website to see all the kimonos that have been made so far, and to check for newly designed kimonos in the future. Creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind kimono is no easy feat, so even though it may take months for a kimono representing your own country to be completed, you can bet that it will be a stunning work of sartorial art.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.