Get an inside look at the tennis superstar’s dazzling Met Gala look that was inspired by her Haitian and Japanese heritage
Naomi Osaka literally stopped traffic with her Met Gala 2021 look—thanks to Louis Vuitton. Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière—the French fashion house’s artistic director of women’s—the gown was a custom corseted dress in a colourful, graphic jacquard, and came with a ruffled silk-mix cape. And paying homage to the tennis star’s Haitian and Japanese background, Ghesquière worked closely with Naomi Osaka and her sister Mari to create a gown that embraced and showcased styles and art from both cultures.
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In the mission to shake up the Met Gala gown game, Ghesquière was intent on bringing the Osaka’s sense of cultural identity and creativity to the plate with an impressive koi fish-inspired jacquard gown with an accompanying floor-length ruffled cape that made a bold statement about the tennis champion’s multicultural heritage.
“Naomi and Mari represent strong voices and values. I am honoured to have collaborated with them on this dress that marries our respective cultural and aesthetic heritage. We had a common desire throughout this process to celebrate the ideal of the America we all aspire to,” Ghesquiere said about the process of creating Osaka’s red carpet look.
Osaka’s sister Mari designed the unique print initially as a digital watercolour art piece that incorporated aesthetically-driven images of koi fish, which pays homage to their Japanese roots and appreciation for Japanese art and symbols.
Ghesquiere was thus inspired by this culturally significant print throughout the entire design process and integrated it into the design of the bustier and skirt.
The silk taffeta fabric of the structured bustier effortlessly turns into a split tulip skirt, and the folds allude to the design of a Japanese kimono. What’s more, the dress was completed with a large silk bow under the bust—inspired by another element of the kimono: the obi belt.
See also: Louis Vuitton Releases Third Line of Artycapucines For 2021
