The Kimono Project was an initiative by the Imagine One World Organization in honor of the 2020 Olympics in Japan. It was launched in 2014.[1][2] The project started in 2017 and was completed in 2021.[3]

Background

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The Project commissioned 213 kimono representing each of the countries participating in the Olympic Games.[4] The project was led by Yoshimasa Takakura, a Japanese designer.[5]

The production of each kimono was estimated to cost 2 million yen, and was covered by donations from crowdsourcing campaigns as well as corporate sponsorship.[6][7] The kimono were displayed at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, and will be displayed at the 2025 Osaka and Kansai Expo.[8] The kimono are also displayed online.[9][10]

Though most of the kimono were made by Japanese designers, two were not: the obi for the Palestinian kimono was created by refugees, using embroidery as the primary technique. The kimono designed for Indonesia was made using wax, using the batik technique.[11]

Recognition

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The Project was awarded the Diplomas of Honor from the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports in Ukraine.[12]

Finished kimono

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The pictures of finished kimono for all countries can be found on the official kimono project site.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ "The Imagine One World Kimono Project". The Imagine One World Kimono Project. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  2. ^ Kimono, Ohio (2019-07-25). "Imagine One World Kimono Project". kimonostore. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  3. ^ "Country kimono! Project completes set of over 200 designs for every nation at Tokyo Olympics【Pics】". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  4. ^ withbeyond.com. "Weaving the World Together through Kimonos". Skylife. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  5. ^ "196 Countries Are Getting Represented In Ambitious Kimono Project For Tokyo Olympics kimono olympics tokyo". Japan Inside. 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  6. ^ "Kimono Project is creating a different kimono to represent every country on Earth【Photos】". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  7. ^ "196 Countries Are Getting Represented With Unique Kimono Designs In Ambitious Kimono Project". Japanese kawaii idol music culture news | Tokyo Girls Update. May 2017. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  8. ^ "213 Specially Designed Kimonos for 2020 Tokyo Olympics". The Garnette Report. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  9. ^ Akemi (2020-09-03). "What Is Imagine One World Kimono Project". FIVE SENSES FOUNDATION. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  10. ^ "Olympic Kimono Project Including Kurume Kasuri and Hakata Ori Now Online". Fukuoka Now (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  11. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Every nation to receive unique kimono|Arab News Japan". www.arabnews.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  12. ^ Kitsoft. "Японія - Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project representatives awarded with the Diplomas of Honor from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine". japan.mfa.gov.ua. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  13. ^ "Kimono Project | Kimono List 着物一覧".
  14. ^ "【公式】一般社団法人イマジンワンワールド | Imagine One World | BLUE PROJECT | KIMONO PROJECT | 日本". 【公式】イマジンワンワールド【IOW】.