Exhibition in Venice explores Japanese menswear elegance

The exhibition "Men's kimono: Weaves of life, a story of style" opened in Venice on December 5. Curated by Silvia Vesco and Lydia Manavello, it will run until April 4, 2026, at the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Study Centre for the History of Textiles, Costume and Perfume.

Museum opens a window onto the little-explored field of Japanese menswear elegance

The exhibition is a journey into the world's textile cultures dedicated to Japan. It was created in collaboration with the Oriental Art Museum of Venice and under the patronage of the Ca' Foscari University of Venice's Department of Asian and North African Studies. The show is part of the museum's broader programme, which has always been committed to showcasing the multiple forms of dress as a language of identity; an archive of memories; and a crossroads of relationships between places, eras, and civilisations.

With "Men's kimono: Weaves of life, a story of style", the museum opens a window onto the little-explored field of Japanese menswear elegance. It offers an immersive journey that intertwines art; history; religion; theatre; landscape; tradition; and modernity. This is showcased through a significant body of Japanese textile production from the late nineteenth century and the first four decades of the twentieth century.

The exhibition explores the role of the men's kimono as a narrative fabric through a selection of haori and nagajuban. Many of these are being shown to the public for the first time, alongside over 60 objects from the Oriental Art Museum of Venice. The kimono is a garment that, enclosed in its sober exterior, often holds a hidden world of images, stories, and symbols.

The exhibition reconstructs the richness of the inner decorations, the ura moyō, literally translated as "back pattern" or "secondary design". In twentieth-century Japan, this transformed the kimono's lining into a true personal statement. Reflecting on the kimono as a mirror of man and society, the exhibition highlights a fundamental aspect of Japanese culture: the idea that masculine elegance lies in discreet detail, understated refinement, and the surprise hidden within.

Exhibition open until April 2026

Secret surfaces weave stories and themes that define the ten sections of the exhibition. These include religion and spirituality, featuring Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, deities of fortune, and figures like Bodhidharma; ancient and modern Japanese history, from the Dutch ships of the Sakoku period to the Sankin Kōtai system, the Meiji reforms, and the "gold crisis of 1929"; and tradition, with references to popular culture, proverbs, legends, and the cult of warriors, evoking the honour and history of the samurai. Other sections cover theatre and music, with stories, characters, and legends from Nō and Kabuki theatre, tributes to the great actors of historic dynasties, and the world of masks. Finally, culture and style are explored, evoking the refinement of pairings and the elegance of accessories. Obi belts, sagemono, inrō, netsuke, and traditional footwear complete the narrative of a complex aesthetic system where every element becomes a symbol, a ritual, and a gesture of style.

This is followed by a tribute to artists, with scenes and motifs celebrating the skill and creativity of the masters of Japanese art. These include the refined atmospheres of Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806); the harmonious landscapes of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858); the eccentric vitality of Itō Jakuchū (1716-1800); and the decorative virtuosity of Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942). An unprecedented look at the world of children is also presented. Driven by an enthusiasm for Western culture, children's kimonos were covered with motifs that evoked a fascination with modernity, sport, and militaristic imagery, transforming them into nationalist statements.

Nature and landscape are also explored. A repertoire rich in symbols and philosophy, decorative motifs inspired by the natural world tell a story of the deep connection between Japan and its surrounding landscape. Modernity is conveyed through omoshirogara, the “bizarre motifs” of the 1930s and 1940s in particular, which celebrate progress, transport, sport, propaganda, and exchange with the West.

The final section is housed in the project room in the ground-floor entrance hall, which has been transformed into a Kimono lab for the occasion. It investigates the textile and decorative techniques of haori and under-kimonos. These include creations in fine silks or imported wools, with sober exteriors but richly decorated interiors using traditional techniques such as kasuri; katayuzen; yuzenzome; rōrā nassen; and elaborate variations of shibori.