Ballet Costume Brand 'Jardin des Costumes' to Make Debut at Paris Fashion Week

Jardin des Costumes (Osaka; Representative: Akiko Kimura), a brand specializing in custom-made ballet costumes, will exhibit for the first time at Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 16:00 (local time).

The fashion show is planned and operated by Global Fashion Collective (GFC), which produces runways around the world. Jardin des Costumes will be only the second ballet costume brand to exhibit in a Paris Fashion Week show hosted by GFC.

Akiko Kimura, Representative and Designer of Jardin des Costumes, founded the brand after working for a mail-order company for 26 years. Having practiced classical ballet for 42 years since childhood, she began creating ballet costumes based on her extensive experience.

After establishing the brand in September 2022 with the vision of "designing the future of ballet," she received an invitation from GFC within less than six months to exhibit at Paris Fashion Week.

Maximizing the "planning skills" she cultivated during her corporate career, she will present the collection « Bal de Fleurs » on the Paris runway, offering audiences the sensation of watching a completely new ballet production.

[PARIS Fashion WEEK SS25]
Date & Time: Wednesday, September 25, 2024, scheduled to start at 16:00 (Paris local time)
Venue: La Maison des Métallos
94 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Paris 11e
Organizer: Global Fashion Collective

What is Paris Fashion Week?
Paris Fashion Week is one of the representative events of the fashion weeks known as the "Big Four," alongside Milan and London.
Fashion weeks are events where brands announce their new collections ahead of the season. They are divided into haute couture and prêt-à-porter (luxury ready-to-wear) categories, each held twice a year for about a week. Normally, the general public cannot enter the show venues; only invited guests such as influencers (models, singers, actors) who promote the products and celebrities who patronize the brands are allowed entry.

Among them, Paris Fashion Week is the largest in scale. Given that France considers fashion a part of its national culture, the collections boast a long history and are so popular that they influence global fashion trends for the year. The level of global attention is remarkably higher compared to other collections, and participating in a show brings significant status. It is a dream stage for many, including designers, models, and hair and makeup artists, and it attracts an overwhelming number of media representatives. Furthermore, rather than taking place at a single location, numerous shows are held simultaneously, primarily within the city of Paris, and the GFC-hosted show is one of them. During this period, the streets of Paris become exceptionally glamorous, bustling with fashion models and prominent figures.

Collection Overview

■ Collection Theme: « Bal de Fleurs » ~A Ball of Flowers~
A glamorous masquerade ball unfolded by 8 flowers representing the four seasons, alongside the 4 elements necessary for a flower's growth.

■ Concept: "Ballet Costumes as a New Culture from Japan"
Much like the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when Nanban (Western) trade was encouraged and a unique Japanese culture blossomed while generously absorbing foreign cultures, the brand does not simply follow the cultures or traditional designs of other countries. Instead, built on the solid foundation of Japan's strengths and existing culture, it creates new ballet costumes that only Japanese artists can construct.

■ Design Source / Technique
The designs are inspired by the shapes of flowers, the language of flowers, and anecdotes of historical figures who loved them. Furthermore, Japanese materials such as parts made using the traditional Japanese craft of "wood carving," gold brocade, and mizuhiki are seamlessly incorporated into the ballet costumes, proposing new realizations.
The brand aims to inspire choreographers and directors to say, "Seeing this collection made me want to create a new work together."

Thoughts on the Collection

■ Why Paris Fashion Week in the First Place?
The trigger was a single email that arrived unexpectedly in February 2023.
"I want to introduce your work to the world." A Japanese coordinator for GFC reached out after seeing Jardin des Costumes' Instagram and website.
Although momentarily suspicious, thinking "Is this a new type of scam?!", she decided to at least hear what they had to say...