Country kimono! Project completes set of over 200 designs for every nation at Tokyo Olympics【Pics】

After four years, the Kimono Project is complete.

Back in 2017, Japanese international outreach organization Imagine Oneworld started the Kimono Project, with the aim of creating a unique kimono pattern for every country on Earth. The designs would be developed in cooperation with that country’s embassy and embody influences from and references to their unique cultures, histories, and natural and architectural beauty.

Four years later, Imagine Oneworld has completed its goal by producing 206 gorgeous kimono. Since the beginning of the project, the organization had hoped for them to be incorporated into the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, but as with many plans related to the Games, that didn’t pan out. Still, with the international sporting event underway and a feeling of global community in the air, we’d like to share some of our favorite designs.

Canada is easily adaptable to kimono, since maple leaves are both a traditional Japanese aesthetic and the symbol of the North American nation.

Many of the Kimono Project garments have an asymmetrical design, but Singapore’s is especially so, with the Merlion on one sleeve and the city’s unmistakable skyline near the hem.

The U.S.A. kimono is particularly diverse, with the country’s flag fashioned out of flowers (including cherry blossoms subbing for stars), a majestic bald eagle, and a from-space view of the southern and eastern coastline.

For Thailand, the designers have gone with a sweeping floral pattern and khom loi lanterns floating into the night sky, as well as images of elephants and naga, both considered auspicious creatures in Thai folklore.

Speaking of animal life, there’s a lot going on in the Australia kimono, but be sure to notice the adorable platypuses.

While all of the designs are colorful, Kenya’s is one of the most, with nearly 200 different colors of thread and requiring more than a year to sew.

Heading over to Great Britain, we see such iconic sites as Elizabeth Tower and the Tower of London…

…while it’s the towering topography of the Andes on display for Peru…

…Mexico’s motif makes use of the Aztec sun stone…

…and the United Arab Emirates’ gives glimpses of both its traditional past and increasingly futuristic present.

While the Kimono Project missed its chance to shine at the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, they have been exhibited at other international sporting events and conferences that Japan has hosted, and with the high level of craftsmanship that’s been put into them, we should be seeing them at future gatherings as well. We’ll leave you with 50 more designs that caught our eye, and if you want to see the rest, they’re viewable on the Kimono Project’s official website, which we’ve linked to at the end of this article.

▼ Afghanistan

▼ Albania

▼ Argentina

▼ Austria

▼ Azerbaijan

▼ Brazil

▼ Cambodia

▼ Cameroon

▼ Chile

▼ China

▼ Croatia

▼ Cuba

▼ Djibouti

▼ Ethiopia

▼ Federated States of Micronesia

▼ Finland

▼ France

▼ Germany

▼ Ghana

▼ Greece

▼ Guam

▼ India

▼ Iran

▼ Israel

▼ Italy

▼ Jamaica

▼ Kazakhstan

▼ Kuwait

▼ Morocco

▼ The Netherlands

▼ New Zealand

▼ Oman

▼ Palau

▼ Paraguay

▼ The Philippines

▼ Portugal

▼ Puerto Rico

▼ Qatar

▼ Refugee Olympic Team

▼ Russia

▼ South Africa

▼ South Korea

▼ Spain

▼ Sri Lanka

▼ Switzerland

▼ Turkey

▼ Ukraine

▼ Uzbekistan

▼ Vatican City

▼ Vietnam

Source: Kimono Project (1, 2)
Images: Kimono Project
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