22 Nov 2022 28 May 2023

Kimono

A garment emblematic and characteristic of Japan’s identity, the kimono has become an iconic fashion item. Spotlight on an attire that transcends categories and borders.

Please note that the museum will be open until 11pm on May 25, 26, 27, 28, 2023. 

The kimono – literally what is worn – appeared more than a thousand years ago and is a representation of their national culture and sensitivity for the Japanese. At the beginning of the Edo era (1603-1868), it became the traditional garment par excellence, worn by all Japanese, regardless of social status or gender. A golden age that saw the extraordinary development of its production and the birh of a fashion culture, thanks to the infatuation of the entertainment world. Celebrities and trendsetters of the time – kabuki actors in particular – became the first Japanese fashion icons.

Although it timidly reached European shores at the end of the 17th century, it was in the 1850s, with the opening of Japan to foreign trade, that the kimono was exported to the West, fascinated by its exotic character. The enthusiasm generated by its shape and fabrics profoundly and radically transformed fashion on the continent a few decades later. It subsequently surpassed its status as a symbol and lost none of its beauty in the hands of the world's greatest designers (such as John Galliano or Alexander McQueen) or in the streets of the archipelago, revisited in innovative and sometimes subversive ways by the young Japanese.

The exhibition designed by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London revisits this history, that of an iconic garment, intimately linked to Japan. The kimono from every angle, or the portrait of a resolutely modern garment, across the centuries and continents.

Visitor tools

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  • Curators

    Anna Jackson, Chief Curator, Asia Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

    Josephine Rout, Curator Asia department Victoria and Albert Museum, London

    Scientific advisor

    Julien Rousseau, Head of the Asia Heritage Unit, musée du quai Branly  – Jacques Chirac, Paris

    Scénography

    CIEL Architectes

  • Place:   Mezzanine est
  • TimeSlots:  
    From Tuesday 22 November 2022 at Sunday 28 May 2023
  • Closed on monday
    Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  10:30 am-07:00 pm
    Thursday:  10:30 am-10:00 pm
  • Public:   All publics
  • Categorie : Exhibitions
  • Museum ticket entrance
    Full price:  14,00 €
    Reduce rate:  11,00 €

    Click here to see all rates
00:00 / 00:00
Bande-annonce de l'exposition | Kimono
Exposition Kimono du 22 novembre 2022 au 28 mai 2023 au musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac Vêtement emblématique et caractéristique de l’identité du Japon, le kimono est aujourd’hui une pièce incontournable de la mode. Des écoles de samouraïs aux podiums, des acteurs de kabuki aux stars de la pop internationale, pleins phares sur une tenue qui transcende les catégories et les frontières. L’exposition conçue par le Victoria and Albert Museum de Londres revient sur cette histoire, celle d’une tenue emblématique, intimement liée à celle du Japon. Le kimono sous toutes ses coutures, ou le portrait d’un vêtement résolument moderne, à travers les siècles et les continents. En savoir plus : https://www.quaibranly.fr/fr/expositions-evenements/au-musee/expositions/details-de-levenement/e/kimono #ExpoKimonoMQB
0:35 min

L'événement en images

© musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo Léo Delafontaine
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Around the event

Guided tours, workshops, concerts, etc.
all activities organized as part of the event

Around the event

A V&A Touring Exhibition – Touring the world

Sponsored by

  • Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
  • MSIG Insurance Europe AG