A dynamic take on the kimono: designing costumes for Miss Universe
When I was shown the photo, my eyes were glued to it. An Asian woman in a gorgeous long-sleeved kimono in orange, yellow, and blue, carrying a huge fan over her shoulder. It is clearly not a traditional Japanese kimono, but at the same time, it has a strong presence without losing any dignity.
It was a photo of a costume designed by costume designer Oshimoto Sueko for Miss Universe Japan 2013.
"When I first worked on the pageant side in 2010, I styled Miss Asia in America. I dressed her in a traditional Japanese furisode kimono. It was a gorgeous and beautiful kimono. But the judges didn't even look at her. I was shocked. Since then, I've focused on how to make her look good on stage, and I try to incorporate both Japanese and Western styles into my designs. The inherent beauty of the kimono may resonate with Japanese people, but when it comes to showing off to Americans, it's not enough on its own."
Oshimoto quickly realized that she needed to appeal to Americans with styling and designs that incorporated dynamic variations on kimono, and with the bold costume she first wore for Miss Universe Japan in 2013, she achieved the remarkable feat of placing fifth in the costume category at the Miss Universe World Pageant.
"My students are waiting" - the days of commuting to LA from Las Vegas
Currently, Oshimoto is active in Hollywood, using kimono as her weapon in a wide range of fields, from pageants, fashion magazines, television, movies, commercials, to music videos, but her debut in the American industry was a late bloomer. She recalls that she left her hometown of Okinawa and moved to the United States when she was 38 years old.
"I had been to the US several times since my 20s, but I didn't move there permanently until I was 38. Until then, I had been in Okinawa, and I had always wondered if my life was right for me. I had acquaintances in San Diego and relatives in Las Vegas. Using these connections, I spent Christmas in 1999 in San Diego, then moved to Vegas on the 27th. I was introduced to a job at the Bellagio, which had just opened at the time. It was a hostessing job, and although I had no experience as a hostess, I was confident in my customer service skills. I had previously run an insurance company with a partner in Okinawa, and when I looked after customers, they would often nominate me to introduce new customers. The number of times this happened was surprising to me."
Her job at the Bellagio was going well, she bought a house in Las Vegas, and she was living a stable life. However, her desire to make her favorite kimono the center of her life gradually grew stronger.
Oshimoto began learning Yamano-ryu kimono dressing in her 20s, and in 1992 she obtained her first nationally certified kimono dressing license from the first Aiko Yamano. In addition, she has been teaching kimono dressing for many years, including as a lecturer at a beauty school in Okinawa, in parallel with her insurance business. After moving to Las Vegas, she had the opportunity to meet Jane Aiko Yamano II, who was visiting the area, and decided to open kimono dressing classes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
"I drove from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I heard that there were no instructors in Los Angeles at the time who could teach students how to wear kimono to get certified, so I felt a sense of responsibility that I should go there myself. At first, I made the round trip once every two weeks, but the frequency gradually increased, and I started making the round trip twice a week. If there was no traffic, the distance would be five or six hours one way, but depending on the traffic conditions, it could take nine hours. But when I got in the car, my mode would completely switch to Los Angeles. It was not uncommon for me to drive in the middle of the night without sleep and to be at class in the morning. When I thought about the students waiting for me, I simply could not take a break."
"There is no such thing as perfection in my opinion" Always striving for something better
As a result of his enthusiastic guidance, 50 kimono dressing instructors have been certified by the Japanese government in Los Angeles. "Currently, of the 50, 10 are my disciples. I would like to spread the culture of kimono to even more people."
For several years, Oshimoto commuted long distances from Las Vegas, but it was finally time to give up on the lifestyle he loved in Las Vegas and move his focus to Los Angeles. In 2010, Oshimoto established Suehiro Kimono Agency in California in partnership with Kentaro Terauchi. With the mission of spreading the beauty of kimono to the world, he began his activities in the entertainment capital, and his first stepping stone was a job styling high fashion for the fashion magazine Vogue Japan in 2008.
"French photographer Camilla and stylist Sissy told us about a previous experience they had when they did a kimono-themed shoot in France and asked someone to style the kimono, but they could only do it in the traditional way, and it was extremely difficult to create a French-style arrangement. I have no problem with traditional kimono styling, of course, but in response to Sissy's request that 'I don't want a classic look,' I worked hard to create a French-style arrangement."
The photoshoot was just after the Paris Fashion Week ended, and by combining kimonos with Prada and Dior fashion items used at the fashion week, a truly avant-garde and fashionable photoshoot was completed. Oshimoto-san has absolute confidence in her kimono styling, both classic and arranged, but she says she has never thought of it as perfect.
"I have never received a complaint from a client about the work I have done up until now. But I don't think I'm perfect. I'm always working toward something better, something even better."
Suehiro Kimono Agency: http://suehiro-kimono.com/
Sueko brand official website: http://sueko.co
© 2014 Keiko Fukuda
