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Osaka’s Wimbledon kimono
Naomi Osaka arrived for her opening match at Wimbledon in a floor-length white kimono-inspired gown, created alongside Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi, and she later removed the long gown before facing France’s Elsa Jacquemot in a Nike dress adorned with flowers.
Osaka, the No 14 seed, won on Court 3 against Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5, and she described the kimono silhouette as central to her inspiration for Wimbledon’s all-white tradition.
The look was embroidered with cranes and cherry blossoms and built from seven different textiles upcycled from pieces including vintage kimonos and a traditional shiromuku wedding dress, with a traditional obi belt and a white Nike performance dress underneath.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Sally Bolton said the club was “very relaxed so long as it meets the all-white dress code,” as the opening day also saw British players Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper forced to drop out due to injury.
Locker-room and crowd
Osaka said she remembered “absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character [in Kill Bill],” and she connected that to her own all-white kimono interpretation while also saying she was “paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.”
She told reporters that walking out in the outfit was “really fun,” saying she could feel people “physically turn their whole body” as she passed them on the walkway.
The Telegraph described Wimbledon goers as split, quoting Sheila Hutchins, 77, from Cornwall saying “It’s brilliant. It’s her own culture she should celebrate it,” while Clodagh Roche-Kelly, 55, from London said “It’s a bit pretentious. Who does she think she is? She’s here to play tennis.”
Osaka also said she gets locker room questions about her creations, including whether she has “one” because it is all white and what happens if she stains it, and she said she prefers to “shake things up” when asked about wearing the kimono again.
Rules, next match, pressure
Sally Bolton, speaking as chair of the All England Club, said “We’re very relaxed, so long as it meets the all-white dress code,” and she added that she “haven’t been in any conversations with her about what she wears.”
“- Published Naomi Osaka has long been renowned for dazzling crowds with her on-court outfits - but making that compatible with Wimbledon's strict dress code required special inspiration”
Osaka said she did not view white as restrictive, telling reporters “I’ve never thought of the color white as restrictive,” and she argued that Wimbledon’s constraints still allow “so many different patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use.”
After her win over Jacquemot, Osaka said she would play either Anastasia Gasanova or Emiliana Arango in the second round, and the BBC noted that Russian Anastasia Gasanova was up next.
The BBC also reported that Osaka said wearing extravagant outfits can add pressure, saying “Obviously, like for the French Open, you don't want to wear a ball gown and lose in the first round. That does cross my mind a little bit.”
