Tennis star Naomi Osaka wowed onlookers at Wimbledon this week with a stunning walk-on look inspired by traditional Japanese ceremonial dress, accessorised with pearl jewellery from Mikimoto. Read all about it below.
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Every summer, the stylish tennis champions that head to the All England Club in Wimbledon face a sartorial dilemma – what can you possibly wear that’s new, when there’s a strict all-white dress code?
This year, Naomi Osaka – who has become renowned for her fabulous on-court outfits – answered that question with an incredible, snow-white ensemble inspired by a traditional Japanese kimono. The custom look, which was created with the Tokyo-based fashion designer Hana Yagi, featured delicate white-on-white embroidery and showcased national Japanese symbols such as cranes and cherry blossoms, plus a dramatic obi belt, floral hairpiece, and a giant bow that trailed behind her.
Her opening match look, Osaka explained, was partly inspired by the kimono worn by Lucy Liu’s character in Kill Bill, O-Ren Ishii, and served as a nod to her Japanese heritage.
“When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white. There’s obviously the tradition of it all,” Osaka told the BBC, following her 6-1 7-5 victory over French player Elsa Jacquemot. “In my head, when I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian.”
“Then, if I dive deeper into Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.”
“I don’t know, I was thinking about my favourite movies also. I love Kill Bill. I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character.
“She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool. Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that, while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.”
Japan’s four-time major winner completed her look with shimmering pearl and diamond earrings and bracelets from Japanese heritage jeweller Mikimoto (which recently signed the Oscar winning actor Michelle Yeoh as its latest global ambassador).
Like Osaka herself, Mikimoto’s eponymous founder Kokichi Mikimoto was an industry trailblazer.
He originally established the company as an oyster farm in 1888, and was the first person to successfully cultivate a semi-spherical pearl in 1893, for which Mikimoto received a patent in 1896.
This was followed by the arrival of the first spherical cultured pearl in 1905, and the opening of Mikimoto’s debut international boutique in London in 1913. The company’s pearls gained a worldwide reputation for excellence, embellished by appearances at events like the 1926 World Exposition in Philadelphia, and by its dazzling, Art Deco-infused designs (later worn by the likes of Princess Margaret).
Today, the company’s shimmering creations are admired by celebrities such Cynthia Erivo, Rihanna, Harry Styles and A$AP Rocky. Emma Raducanu, who sadly pulled out of this year’s Wimbledon championship, even wore Mikimoto’s pearl pieces for Wimbledon back in 2024.
“I feel like everyone has their own way of showing that they’re into fashion,” Osaka later said, of her runway-ready look. “I’m always really surprised whenever I go to the locker room, I get a lot of questions about it. It seems to be fun for everyone. You just wouldn’t expect it.”
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