Taylor Swift-inspired Kimono goes on display at V&A Dundee
Credit: Alan Richardson
To celebrate the Edinburgh-stop on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, V&A Dundee has today (Friday 31 May) revealed a new custom-designed kimono inspired by Taylor Swift’s music.
Scotland’s design museum commissioned designer and Glasgow School of Art graduate, KellyDawn Riot to create a kimono depicting each of the singer’s eras.
The hand-illustrated, digitally-printed velvet Kimono takes inspiration from Taylor Swift’s songs and the museum’s current major exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk.
The velvet kimono, now on display at V&A Dundee, features individual collages to represent each era, using the colour schemes associated with each album and mentions of animal, flora and fauna in Taylor Swift’s song lyrics.
The back panel of the Kimono takes inspiration from Taylor Swift’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department, including mentions of roses and gardens from the lyrics of songs Clara Bow and I Hate It Here.
The front of the Kimono features a snake associated with the album Reputation and butterflies from the 1989 album.
Designer, KellyDawn Riot, said, “There was so much inspiration to draw on when creating this hand-illustrated print inspired entirely by Taylor Swift’s music. Fans will be able to spot lots of lyric references within the pattern on ‘The Eras Tour’ Kimono, including an homage to her love of felines with a crescendo of colourful cats covering the back of the kimono. This was such a fun project to work on and I can’t wait to hear what people think when they come to see it at V&A Dundee.”
Chris Keatch, Content Manager at V&A Dundee said, “Our current exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk reveals how the kimono, often thought of as a static unchanging garment, has always been a dynamic item of fashionable dress that has been restyled consistently throughout its history, influencing modern fashion and popular culture, from samurai style and geisha chic, to rock stars and Star Wars.”
“With many Swifties designing and creating their own eras tour outfits, we couldn’t pass on the chance for V&A Dundee to join in and celebrate The Eras Tour in Edinburgh. Collaborating with KellyDawn Riot to create this one-off, ‘The Eras Tour’ Kimono has been a great way to celebrate this exciting pop-culture moment in Scotland, and we hope it sparks lots of joy and curiosity for Swifties and all our visitors.”
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk presents the kimono as an iconic garment and a dynamic, ever-evolving icon of fashion, tracing the influence of the kimono from 17th century Japan to present-day cutting-edge couture and street fashion across the world. Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk is on until 5 January 2025 at V&A Dundee, 18’s and under go free.
‘The Eras Tour’ Kimono will be on display from Friday 31 May until Thursday 6 June. V&A Dundee are also hosting a free Eras bracelet making workshop on Saturday 1 June:
https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/events/Eras-Bracelet-Making.
