Hey everyone,

today I have a fashion related post for you that is very dear to my heart. My favorite japanese clothing brand just released a new collection, together with Shochiku Kabuki. As soon as I saw the press photos I was amazed by this collection. I love the traditional Japan and therefore Kabuki as well. 
That is the reason why I wanted to talk about and show you this lovely collection.

www.shochiku.co.jp/play

The Shochiku Kabuki and UNIQLO Project brings a traditional form of the Japanese art to the world of international pop culture.

Japanese clothing brand UNIQLO is driven by a desire to make the world a better place through clothing. Shochiku Kabuki, a type of traditional Japanese performance art, was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2005. It originated in the Edo period (1603 – 1868) and remains popular today. Shochiku Kabuki and UNIQLO both uphold the artistic ideals of truth, excellence and beauty. In their own distinct ways, they offer new cultural ideas from Japan and share them with the world. The Shochuku Kabuki and UNIQLO Project evolved out of a desire to share a traditional Japanese art form and present it to the world through clothing as a form of pop culture.
The idea began when UNIQLO and Shochiku Kabuki realized that they both shared the same ideals. Kabuki was originally a form of popular entertainment, while UNIQLO has become widely loved for its clothing. Ennosuke Ichikawa IV will serve as the ambassador of this project, and Shochuku Kabuki and UNIQLO are proud to present it to people throughout the world.

Message by
Tadashi Yanai (President, CHairman and CEO of UNIQLO Co., Ltd.)
Junichi Sakomoto (President and CEO of Shochuku Co., Ltd.)

Ennosuke Ichikawa IV

Ennosuke Ichikawa IV is one of Kabuki’s most popular stars. He made his debut in 1983, taking the name Ichikawa Kamejiro II. Succeeding to a higher ranging Kabuki name is not automatic, and in 2012 he was judged worthy of assuming the highly prestigious name of Ennosuke, with the yãgo, or acting house name, of Omodaka-ya. Ennosuke performs not only traditional Kabuki, he has also introduced a new category of Kabuki known as “super Kabuki II”, that has a broad a diverse audience. In addition to Kabuki, Ennosuke Ichikawa IV is a film and television actor.

Past Friday I went to my local UNIQLO store at Tauentzienstr. in Berlin. I was so excited to check out the collection because the press photos only showed a few of the pieces.

The following pictures have been taken from the UNIQLO UK Website

My favorite from those picture is the following.

I just love traditional Kabuki. In 2008 I went to “A Mirror of Osaka”, a very famous Kabuki piece.

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a classical Japanese dance-drama. The Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.

The individual kanji, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞), and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as “the art of singing and dancing”. These are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of ‘skill’ generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre. Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning “to lean” or “to be out of the ordinary”, kabuki can be interpreted as “avant-garde” or “bizarre” theatre.

There are different types of Kabuki, if you are interested to read more, please read here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki

Usually the costumes in Kabuki are very traditional and can also be colorful. UNIQLO incorporated both and came up with this great collection.

It consist of a part for female and male customers, as well as some unisex accessories.

I swear I wish I could have bought all of these clothes. I seriosuly love the whole collection.

It was really hard to choose, but I ended up buying

one STETECO Short (for men),

two Graphic Short Sleeve T-Shirts (for men),

one t-Shirt (for women)

as well as one Short Sleeve Graphic Tunic (for women).

 
(Pictures taken by me)

Following you can see the whole Collection, but you can also visit the Website to view the Kabuki Collection and order from the UK.

Now let’s take a look at all the pices.

MEN Shochiku Kabuki STETECO Shorts (~13,- €)

MEN Shochiku Kabuki Graphic Short Sleeve T-Shirt (~15,- €)

Front and Back

UNISEX Shochiku Kabuki Bandana (~5,- €)

 UNISEX Shochiku Kabuki Tote Bag (~13,- €)

Shochiku Kabuki Mini Tote Bag (~10,- €)

WOMEN Shochiku Kabuki Short Sleeve Graphic T-Shirt (~15,- €)

 WOMEN Shochiku Kabuki Short Sleeve Graphic Tunic (~13,- €)

WOMEN Shochiku Kabuki Relaco 3/4 Shorts (~13,- €)

Like I said, there are so many more pieces of this collection I would like to own, but sadly my wallet doesn’t allow that. I really appreciate UNIQLO clothing for their great quality, but also affordable price.

Do you have experience with UNIQLO clothes? Would that be a collection for you? If so which pieces do you like?

Please let me know in the comments. I would love to read your thoughts.

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