MET Museum to host exhibition on transformation of kimono fashion

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET) is set to open a new exhibition focused on the transformation of the kimono in fashion, tracing its impact from the late 18th through the early 20th century.

The exhibition, which is entitled ‘Tracing the Transformation of Kimono Fashion’, will consist of The John C. Weber Collection, displaying artistic adaptations between the kimono and Western fashion through over 60 examples of the garment, as well as Japanese painting, Western couture and art.

Set to run from June 7, 2022, to February 20, 2023, items in the exhibition span 10 galleries and will explore weaving, dyeing and embroidery techniques that Japan has become known for while also diving into the emergence of urban culture and its influence on Western fashion.

“This outstanding exhibition presents the kimono from a transnational perspective, highlighting the artistic conversations between Japan and the West, and the garment’s continued impact on designers around the world,” said Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French director of the MET, in a release.

Hollein continued: “We are extremely grateful to John C. Weber for his promised gift, his loans to this exhibition, and his long-term support of Asian art at The Met.”