Ken Okada, the Art of Shirts

Inside the Ken Okada boutique in Paris’ 7th arrondissement, the flagship piece is the shirt. Ken Okada, a graduate of Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, has made it her speciality. More generally, her garments are inspired by the Japanese art of cuts, from kimonos to kabuki theatre costumes, and Parisian sophistication.

Okada initially wanted to become a painter, but is now an accomplished stylist whose fame is growing in both France and Japan. Since she participated in the event ‘The history of the shirt by Ken Okada’ at the Galeries Lafayette in 2009, the designer has continued to produce ever more daring creations. ‘A beautiful garment takes work, and the simpler it seems, the more complicated it actually is’, she says. Each year, Ken Okada organises runway shows in Paris, sometimes in the city centre like in October 2016, where one took place on a bridge.