Naomi Osaka's kimono-inspired Wimbledon entrance blends Japanese heritage with All England Club tradition

The entrance

On the opening day of Wimbledon, Naomi Osaka turned her walk-on into a ceremony. She stepped onto Court 3 in an all-white ensemble that echoed a traditional Japanese kimono, complete with bell sleeves and a long train. The crowd responded with cheers, and fellow players in the locker room asked her about the outfit, Osaka told reporters later.

Design and symbolism

The gown was a collaboration with Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi, titled "Evolving Ceremony". It combined vintage shiromuku bridal garments, kimono fabrics and deconstructed wedding dresses. Embroidery depicted cranes and three-dimensional cherry blossoms, while an obi belt and oversized bow added structure. Osaka paired it with a kanzashi hair ornament and jewellery from Japanese brand Mikimoto.

The starting point was the idea of 'Evolving Ceremony'. The garment is constructed from vintage shiromuku, kimono and wedding dresses - ceremonial garments originally created to mark important moments in people's lives.

Underneath, a Nike performance dress referenced kirigami, the art of Japanese paper cutting, through floral appliqués and micro-pleated edges. That dress sold out within hours of its release last week.

Wimbledon's dress code

Wimbledon's all-white rule, in place for nearly 150 years, governs even shoelaces and arm bands. Osaka said the constraint focused her creativity. "I've never thought of the colour white as restrictive," she told a pre-tournament news conference. "There's so many different patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use. So I've never even thought of it as something that restricts me."

Osaka's fashion storytelling

The walk-on continues a Grand Slam fashion series that began at January's Australian Open with a jellyfish-inspired Robert Wun gown, followed by a Kevin Germanier corset and Eiffel Tower-like overskirt at the French Open. For Wimbledon, Osaka drew on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill for inspiration.

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 and amazing. Then it just kind of went from there.

I like to use fashion as a medium for storytelling. Every walk-out is an opportunity to bring people into my creative world.

Match result

After removing the ceremonial layers, Osaka defeated Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5 in 74 minutes. The win moved her into the second round, but the post-match focus remained on the outfit rather than the scoreline.