(Celebrity)
Naomi Osaka’s First Wimbledon Outfit Honors Her Japanese Heritage
Traditional tennis whites have met their match.
Naomi Osaka is an undisputed style icon to watch, both on and off the tennis court — and especially at Wimbledon this year. The British tennis tournament’s latest edition is in full swing — and with an outfit inspired by her own Japanese heritage, the Japanese tennis star made her debut on the event’s first day truly meaningful.
This morning, the tennis star stepped out in an ensemble inspired by traditional Japanese attire for her match against France’s Elsa Jacquemot. Designed by Hana Yagi, Osaka’s outfit included wide sleeves, a curved collar, and a thick central belt. In fact, all of these details reinterpreted elements of both a kimono and the Japanese garment “jũnihitoe” — an ensemble with 12 layers, which was primarily worn by noblewomen during the country’s Heian period. Embroideries of cherry blossoms and cranes further referenced Japanese culture, while a sheer, tiered white skirt brought a feminine whimsy to the piece. Fittingly, Osaka’s powerful look had an equally powerful name: “Evolving Ceremony.”
“I wanted the garment to exist as the moment before performance,” Yagi told British Vogue of Osaka’s ensemble. “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.”
A combination of Japanese culture and the star’s own tennis career also extended to her accessories, which included a matching Nike armband and sneakers, a traditional white “kandazhi” hair ornament, and Mikimoto pearl bracelets. The statement-making look, made with detachable layers crafted from vintage kimonos, a Western wedding dress, and a traditional “shiromuku” bridal kimono, was just one part of Osaka’s ensemble for her first match.
Beneath it, she also wore a custom floral Nike tennis dress with a pleated hem inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding called “kirigami.” Together, Yagi told British Vogue that this look and Osaka’s Nike dress showed “two chapters within the same story” for her first match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club this year.
Fashion is a core part of Osaka’s performance attire on the tennis court. Earlier this month, the star made headlines while wearing a beaded black vest and pleated maxi skirt over a sequined bronze tennis kit — later layered with a matching bomber jacket — by sustainable couture designer Kevin Germanier. At last year’s US Open, she made waves with pieces from a bow-topped Ambush jacket and skirt to crystal-covered hair roses that matched her red bejeweled headphones.
With fourteen days of Wimbledon left, there’s no telling what statement-making looks Osaka will deliver to the court and beyond — but you can be sure we’ll be watching.
