How Naomi Osaka reinterpreted the “rules” of Wimbledon in traditional white robe designed by Japanese designer Hana Yagi

Dear Gossips,

Earlier this year, to kick off the tennis season, Naomi Osaka served one of the most high fashion looks through the tunnel at the Australian Open, in a custom collaboration design by Robert Wun x Nike. As I wrote at the time, she was doing the tournament a favour, considering their ambition to become more popular and challenge Wimbledon as the crown jewel of the sport, which The Athletic called an arms race behind the scenes.

Wimbledon is now upon us, and once again, for her first match, Naomi has smashed a winner, while also observing the infamous All England Club dress code.

@wimbledon Naomi Osaka brings her iconic entrances to The Championships 🤍 #Wimbledon ♬ original sound - wimbledon

Naomi is Japanese, she represents Japan on the world stage, and she worked with Japanese designer Hana Yagi to create this amazing fashion moment. In an exclusive photo shoot and interview with British Vogue, both Naomi and Hana Yagi share their intention behind the look. And just as I said back in January when the Australian Open was happening, ignore the haters and the obstinate purists who are probably bitching about this because it’s exactly what the Australians wanted to support their goals for maximum exposure; and this too respects the setting, at Wimbledon, where tradition and ceremony are so strictly observed. Wimbledon’s ritualistic reputation is exactly what inspired the robe. As Naomi’s creative director, Marty Harper, tells British Vogue:

“It’s one of the few places in sport where ceremony still feels inseparable from competition,” he says. “We wanted to acknowledge that while creating a dialogue with Japanese ceremonial dress.”

Tradition and ceremony, yes. But it doesn’t have to be British tradition and ceremony. Naomi reinterpreted the “rules” of Wimbledon, in all white, but made it Japanese. And was still obviously able to play tennis as she went on to win her match in the white tennis kit that she was wearing underneath… with cherry blossoms climbing up one side, flip through the carousel to see. I am obsessed with cherry blossoms, so obviously this is hitting me in all the right places.

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In a post shared on Instagram, Naomi captioned it 文化 which means culture. How she uses her body is her job. What she puts on her body is her self-expression. And she’s doing it better than most in her sport.