Naomi Osaka made a striking entrance at Wimbledon on Monday, wearing a custom walk-on dress upcycled from vintage kimonos and a traditional Japanese wedding dress. The former world No. 1, known for her elaborate pre-match outfits, honored her Japanese heritage while adhering to Wimbledon's strict all-white dress code.
Design and Inspiration
Created by independent Japanese designer Hana Yagi, the look incorporated seven different textiles from vintage kimonos and a shiromuku wedding dress. It featured intricate embroidered cranes and cherry blossoms, along with a traditional obi belt. Underneath, Osaka wore a white Nike performance dress with 3D floral motifs inspired by Japanese kirigami paper-cutting.
In an interview with British Vogue, Yagi explained: "I wanted the garment to exist as the moment before performance. The walk-on surrounds Naomi in ceremony, while the Nike kit represents the athlete in competition. I thought about them as two chapters within the same story."
Accessories and Victory
Osaka completed the outfit with pearls from Japanese jeweler Mikimoto and a traditional kanzashi hair ornament with white flowers. After her 6-1, 7-5 victory over France's Elsa Jacquemot, she revealed her inspiration came from Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill.
"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot. They say all white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono," Osaka said. "I just get inspired by a lot of different things, and for me, one of my favourite movies is Kill Bill. So I really love Lucy Liu's character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono."
Functional Design
The dress consisted of nine detachable parts, allowing Osaka to shed them within the one-minute walk-on time and potentially reuse them as the tournament progresses. She told Vogue: "I like to use fashion as a medium for storytelling. Every walk-out is an opportunity to bring people into my creative world."
History of Fashion Statements
Osaka regularly uses fashion to express herself. At the Australian Open in January, she wore a jellyfish-inspired dress with a veil and parasol by designer Robert Wun. At the French Open in May, she arrived in a black corset and trailing skirt made from her old Nike kits, later revealing a gold glittery dress referencing the Eiffel Tower. Past looks have included luminous green sets with tulle and bows, crystal-covered headphones, and rhinestone-encrusted Labubu mascots.
