A kimono is a traditional Japanese robe with wide sleeves and a wrap-around design, usually tied with a wide belt called an obi. It is often worn on special occasions.
From Japanese “kimono” (着物), literally meaning “thing to wear”, from “kiru” (to wear) and “mono” (thing). It became the standard word for traditional Japanese clothing in Western languages.
The word “kimono” in Japanese once simply meant “clothing” in general; only later did it narrow to the style we picture today. In the West, it became a symbol of “traditional Japan,” even as everyday Japanese fashion changed rapidly. The garment turned into a kind of cultural time capsule.
Kimono is a traditional Japanese garment with distinct styles for men, women, and occasions, and it has been exoticized and sexualized in Western depictions of Japanese women. Western fashion has sometimes appropriated the term 'kimono' for loosely related garments, erasing cultural specificity.
Use 'kimono' accurately for the traditional garment, and avoid using it generically for any robe-like clothing; be mindful of cultural and gendered stereotypes in imagery and descriptions.
["robe","wrap dress","traditional Japanese garment"]
Japanese women artisans, wearers, and designers have sustained and innovated kimono traditions, often without full recognition in global fashion histories.
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