THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 30, 2024 at 18:40 JST
Influential fashion designer Yumi Katsura who helped bring Western bridal fashions to traditional Japan died on April 26. She was 94.
Born in Tokyo, Katsura graduated from Kyoritsu Women’s University’s Department of Textile and Clothing.
In 1964, she opened Japan’s first bridal wear boutique in the capital’s Akasaka district.
At a time when Japanese brides usually wore traditional kimono for their wedding ceremonies, Katsura held fashion shows with actors dressed in elaborate wedding gowns to raise awareness of Western bridal wear.
Katsura also trained hair stylists and ceremony staff who specialized in Western-style weddings.
She later incorporated fabric made through traditional Japanese yuzen dyeing techniques and “washi” in her wedding dresses, and held fashion shows in Paris to spread her designs to the wider world.
Having studied in Paris, Katsura also became acquainted with such fashion designers as the late Pierre Cardin.
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The bridal fashion designer Yumi Katsura with some of her works (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
