Photos and Text by David Yamaguchi
The North American Post
Undoubtedly, the highlight of Japan Fair, July 8 – 9 at Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, was its “Kimono Revolution” fashion show, produced by Kimono Art. This year, a special feature was a visit from kimono dyer Azumi Hosoda. She teaches textile design at Kyoto City University of Arts and at Kyoto Seika University. Her specialty is “rouketsuzome,” or wax-resist design.
Among many innovative kimonos on display, the most memorable to this observer were the simple animal-themed ones. These included a fetching “tako” (octopus) kimono, a snappy “wani” (crocodile/alligator) one, and an ocean-floor one, where the animal is subtle: it is a sea-snake! (below, right). Of these, the octopus kimono left lingering impressions on my mind the next day.
Matching kimono-and-western-umbrella sets were also featured widely.
Yu Ugawa, Kimono Revolution producer, lives in Kobe, but visits Bellevue twice a year, in July for Japan Fair and in January for Seijin-Shiki (napost.com, Jan. 2023).
Kimono Art (Kobe-Seattle) offers a full array of kimono services for special events, including associated hair, make-up and classes.
