The kimono – from costume to catwalk www.theguardian.com

From the 17th to the 20th century the kimono was the principal piece of clothing in Japan for both men and women.
But travel 6,000 miles east to Kyoto, home of the kimono, and the history of fashion looks quite different.
As well as antique treasures, Nishimura does a brisk trade in kimono sold at Bond Street prices as occasionwear to affluent Japanese women.
Jotaro Saito, the fashion designer who recently put denim kimono on a Tokyo fashion week catwalk, sells enough kimono to have a sleek boutique in Tokyo’s Ginza Six mall.
That’s why I like kimono.”• Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk opens at the V&A on 29 February.