Free uchikake dress try-on event in Kagoshima, with dresses worn by Miss Japan on display
Mutsuko (right) and Junna Yusunoki
Mutsuko Yusunoki and her daughter Junna (Wada 2, Kagoshima City, Phone: 090-2316-6600), who make dresses using uchikake kimono, will hold an exhibition and dress fitting at Maruya Gardens in Kagoshima City for six days from June 29.
Uchikake is a highly formal silk robe worn by brides. The mother and daughter duo tailor uchikake dresses for the Japanese contestants of the Miss International Beauty Pageant. Mutsuko selects the materials and designs the combination, while Junna is in charge of sewing.
In 2011, the first uchikake dress they made for a family wedding caught the eye of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official through a social media page, and the official asked them to design a dress for the Japanese contestant. Since then, dresses made by them have been used nine times by the Japanese contestants. Their dresses are to be worn again this year at pageants in Egypt, Singapore, and the United States.
At the exhibition, 23 dresses will be on display, including those worn by Miss Japan and newly released designs. All dresses are available to try on for free, and visitors can have their photos taken by a professional photographer (3,300 yen). Although there will be no makeup staff on site, Yusunoki will arrange hair and provide hair ornaments such as mizuhiki. Dress sizes range up to size 11 (US size 8), and the length can be adjusted with footwear.
In April, Yusunoki began offering rental and photography services for uchikake dresses after learning that “Photo Weddings,” in which only photographs are taken without a wedding ceremony, were becoming popular during the pandemic. Yusunoki offers a discount price (from 55,000 yen) for a photo shoot within Kagoshima City until the end of the year, including styling by Yusunoki and a studio fee.
The mother and daughter also make other clothing items using kimonos, such as dresses from furisode (kimonos with long, hanging sleeves) and vests from men’s kimonos. Consultations and requests for orders will be available at the venue.
Exhibition opening hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (until noon on the last day). The exhibition will run until July 4.