Robe Japonica founder Ueoka Taro and Sheila Cliffe pose in the brand’s designs in Harajuku. (Inside images ©Derek Makishima)
On a small street running parallel to, and just off, Meiji Dori, is a shop with an entrance set back a little from the street. It is easy to miss if it is closed, but when open there is a mannequin wearing kimono outside. If you venture into Robe Japonica, you will be surprised by the most colorful display of garments in any kimono shop that you have ever seen. You might be even more surprised to find out that this shop specializes in menswear.
A Revolutionary Approach to Kimono
About nine years ago, I remember seeing stunning images of young men wearing yukata with designs of cards, Mondrian-colored rectangles, and a gentleman in a kimono cape and top hat, on my Facebook feed.
I noted to myself that this was pretty revolutionary in traditionally dull kimono menswear, and decided to go to the pop-up in Harajuku that was being advertised. That was the summer of 2015, and the store opened in Harajuku in December of the same year. I have followed Robe Japonica's journey since that first pop-up exhibition.
The Visionary Behind Robe Japonica
Robe Japonica's founder Ueoka Taro was a newspaper journalist for 20 years before he ventured into fashion. He grew up in a temple, and he remembers his grandmother sewing kimono. He wore it sometimes as a small child, and then when he was in middle school he started to wonder why women's kimono were so lovely and colorful, but men's kimono were always dull and boring.
During his journalistic career, he was waiting for a change to happen in men's kimono, but it didn't come. Ueoka decided he wanted to make something and become more creative, so he quit the newspaper and went to art school to study textiles. He decided to make the change himself.
Building a Brand from the Ground Up
Ueoka started from zero, with no family history or connections to anyone in the kimono industry. Many small producers do not even have a website, so Ueoka used the telephone directory to search out craftspeople, weavers, dyers, tailors, and geta makers. He visited many directly, to see if they could work together.
Ueoka always wanted Robe Japonica to be in Harajuku. He says that Harajuku is the source of new fashion in Japan. For him, it is important that kimono is a part of that.
Kimono is a Japanese robe, hence the brand name. He realized that global clothing was becoming genderless and girls could wear menswear and guys could wear skirts. However, kimono was still very strongly gendered and he wanted the brand to cross that border as well as the border between kimono and global dress.
Bold Colors and Patterns
His line of jackets has expanded with a bike rider jacket with kimono sleeves and also a letterman jacket for wearing over kimono. Many of his customers are tourists from overseas. The wide variety of colors and patterns in his work make it easy to find something to fit in with any wardrobe. Ueoka hopes that kimono will be a part of people's everyday wardrobes.
Ueoka's strong textile background is on display everywhere in his Harajuku store. He sources deadstock and antique fabrics to make gorgeous unisex haori jackets, with a variety of textures and finishes. He takes new pattern ideas to Nishijin weavers and challenges them to make new designs they haven't produced before.
The patterns for the prints are his own creations. He mixes abstracts with images from the natural world, often using creatures that might not conventionally be thought of as beautiful. Sometimes a traditional Japanese pattern will be paired with something completely different to make surprising combinations.
There is a strong graphic element in his work, letters, numbers, and signs frequently appear, often jumbled and abstracted from their original appearance.
Summer wear is made of cotton or linen, and there are jerseys, polyesters, and wool available for other seasons. Being washable is an important aspect of the brand, as is the price point, which is considerably lower than most yukata and kimono brands. This reflects Ueoka's viewpoint that the clothes are largely everyday items.
Wearable Art for Every Season
Ueoka thinks that men and women tend to shop differently. He believes that while women tend to buy online, men prefer to try things on. Therefore, he believes the real shop is more important than the online business for his brand.
It's also important for him that the kimono are pret-a-porter and can be taken home, unlike in traditional kimono shops, where tailoring takes three or four weeks.
After repeated requests from customers, Robe Japonica added a women's line about five years ago, but the majority of items are either for men or unisex.
Robe Japonica has achieved a tremendous amount in a short space of time. They were invited to collaborate with weavers of Oshima tsumugi, a very traditional and expensive type of weaving from Amami Oshima. The two could be seen as being at the opposite end of kimono production.
Ueoka went to Amami islands and was impressed with the sight of the sun and the moon over the sea. This became the theme for his work — one brown kimono with gold leaf suns and one indigo blue with silvery moons. The gold and platinum were applied by specialists in Kyoto, making these very high-end. Ueoka made matching capes in silver and gold with linings of white and brown Oshima tsumugi fabric.
Notable Collaborations
In 2018, the Japan football league team Cerezo Osaka wore Robe Japonica. Two years later, the Victoria and Albert Museum bought and featured items for their kimono exhibition "Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk" which has subsequently been traveling around Europe.
Robe Japonica has also collaborated with Bandai and Sanrio. In 2022, Robe Japonica and Medicom Toys produced a BE@RBRICK and other goods in a yukata fabric. The Thundercats wore Robe Japonica at the SUMMER SONIC music festival in 2023. In August of 2023, the brand was shown at Globus Washitsu in New York. They now have a selection of haori and jinbei, pants and wrap-overs, on sale in the city. In October, they will participate in a street fashion show in New York with Brooklyn Beauty Fashion Labo.
Next year will mark 10 years of Robe Japonica. The brand stands as a beacon of kimono fashion in Harajuku and continues to be the only brand that has embraced color and pattern in men's kimono in such a radical way.
Ueoka is currently inspecting color samples for his 2025 collection. He tells me that the collection's theme is heaven. We can expect wonderfully inspiring patterns and a fabulous array of colors in Ueoka's heaven. It's not too late to get a yukata for the rest of the summecr festivals. If you want something original and vibrant, why don't you pop into Robe Japonica and enjoy their selection of garments? If you are a color-loving fashionista, you won't be disappointed.
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Author: Sheila Cliffe
Read other columns on kimono by the author.
