The Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK) has received a donation of approximately 60 kimono and haori from the Danish collector Henriette Friis. To mark this occasion, the MAK is dedicating an exhibition to Meisen (raw silk) kimonos and haoris from the first half of the 20th century.
Many early 20th-century kimono are made from Meisen, a mechanically processed type of schappe silk woven from silk obtained from defective cocoons. The introduction of mechanised spinning technology made it possible to use this lower-quality silk to create a thick, lustrous material that was both long-lasting and relatively inexpensive.
For a long time, silk was reserved for the privileged upper class of Japan; it was only in the late 19th century that technological innovations in the production of schappe silk led to greater availability of the material. Meisen is a commercial term used to describe a textile of inexpensive machine-reeled silk thread, coloured with synthetic dyes, that was developed in the 1880s. Western dye technology adapted to traditional Japanese dye methods resulted in new, cost-effective techniques and dazzling, multicoloured pictorial designs resembling paintings.
Taisho and Showa Period Meisen Kimono
The exhibition is showing colourful pieces patterned in the bold ‘all over’ style with modernist-inspired designs from the Taisho (1912-26) and Showa periods (1926-89), featured to illustrate the characteristic features of this special form of kimono. These Meisen kimono and their distinctive features also tell the story of Japan’s engagement with European modernity and its significance for the type of ‘new women’ that emerged during this era, before Western-influenced clothing completely replaced kimonos in everyday life. Part of their popularity can be attributed to the fact that they could be bought off-the-peg in Japanese department stores, allowing less ‘affluent’ consumers to switch from cotton and simple bast fibre fabrics to silk.
Both traditional and Western-inspired motifs were used to decorate these affordable kimono, which were worn by the upper and middle classes as everyday wear and by the working class, such as the increasing number of women who worked in the new textile mills, as formal attire. The range of patterns and designs reveals the dynamism of Japanese textile design that could be found in the early 20th century – a period of economic prosperity and cultural expansion. Although Western-style clothes were gaining popularity among women, the kimono continued to be worn. The traditional cut of the garment remained the same, but the motifs were dramatically enlarged and new designs appeared, inspired by Western styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Their striking patterns reflected the confident spirit of the age and provided an exuberant visual statement for the modern, independent, urban woman.
Meisen Kimono with Modern Patterns
While at the beginning of the first bloom of Meisen kimonos in the 1920s, Western workday clothing was already the norm for the majority of working men in Japan, it remained an exception for women, who were still much more bound to traditional roles. The Meisen kimonos with modern patterns, which were inspired by cultural interactions between Japan and Europe, offered women an ideal way to present themselves as both modern and traditional. These striking kimonos played a central role for ‘modern women’ in the first half of the 20th century in Japan. They were predominantly worn by Japanese women who were employed and thus represented the type of woman who strove for independence. Over the course of the 1920s, Meisen kimonos became popular workaday and evening wear for women, partly because they were significantly more affordable than formal silk kimonos and could also be cleaned at home due to their durable material.
In creating these exciting new patterns, textile designers benefited from technological advances made in the late 19th century. Power-operated spinning machines and jacquard looms introduced from Europe speeded up production and lowered costs, while chemical dyes allowed for the creation of dazzling colours. New types of silk and innovative patterning techniques were also developed, making relatively inexpensive, highly fashionable garments available to more people than ever before. These vibrant kimono styles remained popular until the 1950s.
The patterns were also created by using chemical dyes with an innovative direct-dyeing technique, which made Meisen the fabric of choice for fashionable, casual kimono. Chemical dyes mixed with rice paste were applied through stencils to both the warp (longitudinal) and weft (horizontal) threads prior to weaving to create intricate patterns. This stencil-printing technique allowed for the creation of complex images for the kimono.
In order to create these innovative patterns of the Meisen kimonos, the designers drew from both the Japanese design repertoire and European modernism. Influences from modernist art and decorative arts are clearly noticeable, including not only the movements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, but also the Arts and Crafts Movement and Expressionism. It built on the influence of Japonisme, which had been popular in Europe since the second half of the 19th century and had already had a significant effect on Western art and design – including the influential Wiener Werkstätte in Vienna.
What is exceptional about these Meisen kimonos is not only the mechanically processed raw silk designed with ikat colour gradients, but also the often vibrant colour design of their patterns, which became possible due to the use of synthetic aniline dyes. These innovations clearly distinguished them from the traditional silk kimonos that were still in use until the 19th century and contributed to the popularity of kimonos, which increasingly became a symbol of the change in Japanese society and the interplay between tradition and modernity in the first half of the 20th century.
Influences between Europe and Japan
The kimonos of this era successfully document the multifaceted cultural transfer processes and the artistic interplay between Europe and Japan at the time. At the end of the 19th century, silk kimonos with intricate patterns at the hem and everyday cotton kimonos with graphic patterns were widespread; however, the birth of the Meisen kimono revolutionised textile design in the first half of the 20th century and introduced modernist influences and bold, large-scale patterns.
The curved lines of some Meisen designs, which were previously reserved exclusively for high-priced silk fabrics, were particularly popular. Thanks to innovations in stencil printing, the blurred motifs of the Meisen pieces imitated artistic, originally hand-dyed kasuri or ikat fabrics. In doing so, they sometimes drew on the traditional Japanese canon of forms while simultaneously being propelled into the new century through unusual combinations of individual elements and motifs and enlargement, as well as the exaggeration of existing patterns.
The classic forms of the Meisen kimonos include diagonal, geometric, and diamond and lattice patterns. During the second bloom of these kimonos in the 1950s, elements that are influenced by Expressionist brushstrokes along with other Modernist decorations began to appear. In complete contrast, stylised floral motifs, reminiscent of the fabrics of Hawaiian shirts, can also be found during this period.
Meisen is mainly associated with fashion during the Taisho period (1912-26). From the 1920s to the 1930s, the number of office workers (who represented the new middle class) grew rapidly. At the same time, with the development of the transport network, the separation between place of residence and place of work widened. Despite a daily work routine determined by their work schedules, they also enjoyed their free time after office hours and during their holidays. In the household budget, the share of entertainment and leisure spending increased. The Japanese women’s lifestyle has immensely modernised.
To the majority of women who were becoming independent, urbanised, and modern-minded young women, these kimono began to reflect the modernisation – or Westernisation – of Japan in the early to mid-20th century. The designers of these kimonos pushed their talents to the limit, reinventing local techniques while incorporating new influences. Japanese department stores were at the forefront of this modern kimono movement; when they released their new line of kimonos each spring and autumn, eager young women flocked to the stores to buy them.
These female office workers, store clerks, and waitresses started the trend to go window shopping in Ginza, the main shopping area in Tokyo which resembled that of the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The iconic modern girl ‘moga’, so vividly depicted in the shin hanga (new prints) of the time, often wore Meisen kimonos with a distinctive bob haircut. Throughout this period, Meisen remained affordable, and the quality of the manufacturing greatly improved. It was only when wool and Western clothing were introduced to Japan that the popularity of Meisen came to an end in the early Showa period (1926-89).
As new kimono styles emerged, earlier ones soon became outdated and were retired to the bottom of the kimono chest and often not worn again. It is for this reason that so many of these kimonos remain for our enjoyment and appreciation today. After Japan’s defeat in the Second World War and the destruction of so many major urban centres, the kimono was quickly replaced by Western-style clothes, which were considered more affordable and conducive to the new post-war lifestyle. However, the vibrant Meisen kimonos that have survived perfectly reflect the stimulating changes that occurred in the lives of women living in a modern Japan.
Until 24 August, 2025, MAK, Vienna, mak.at
