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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
This Week in AsiaLifestyle & Culture

Olympic kimonos showcase Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia’s cultures – and many more besides

  • More than 300 Japanese designers worked on the 213 kimonos for some six years, with each full set costing about US$18,200 to make
  • Every team competing at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics is represented with a unique design as part of the Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project

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A composite image shows the kimonos created for (clockwise from top left) Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Photo: Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project
Kimberly Limin Singapore
A towering Merlion looks out over a stylised Singapore skyline below a field of hybrid orchids. Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers peek through a vibrant swoop of multicoloured flowers and fluttering butterflies. India’s famed Taj Mahal appears in a splash of water squirted from the trunk of a painted elephant.
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All these scenes, and many more besides, can be found on the more than 200 custom-designed kimonos created by the Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project for every team competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Seven kimonos for countries not at the Games were also designed.

More than 300 Japanese designers worked on the 213 garments for some six years, with each full set – comprising the kimono, obi (sash) and accessories – costing about 2 million yen (US$18,200) to make using traditional hand weaving and dyeing techniques.

A model wears the Philippines‘ design created for the Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project. Photo: Kengo Maeda / Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project via Facebook
A model wears the Philippines‘ design created for the Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project. Photo: Kengo Maeda / Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project via Facebook

Nobumichi Tejima, who led the project, said the designers had to gain a deep understanding of each place’s history, culture, motifs and landmarks to create garments that were accurate and respectful, following discussions with ambassadors and – in some cases – several visits to the places in question.

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Singapore’s kimono design – first unveiled at the country’s Tokyo embassy in 2019 – features the city state’s skyline, with Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer clearly visible, alongside the iconic Merlion.

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