Tradition/Rebellion: Coming-of-Age Style in Kitakyushu, Japan (15-28 Feb)

From fur-trimmed kimono to gravity-defying hair, Tradition/Rebellion is a world of colour and creativity.

About this Event

From fur-trimmed kimono to gravity-defying hair, Tradition/Rebellion is a world of colour and creativity. It celebrates the eclectic and flamboyant fashion worn by 20-year-olds in the Japanese city of Kitakyushu as they mark their entry into adulthood.

Every January, coming-of-age ceremonies take place across Japan, usually marked by formal kimono and speeches. In Kitakyushu, an industrial port city on the southern island of Kyushu, they do things a little differently. Here, a counterculture of one-upmanship among the city’s young citizens has helped shape an array of extreme and deeply personal fashions, all in the name of demonstrating individuality.

Tradition/Rebellion follows eight of Kitakyushu’s ‘new adults’, from the first fitting to the ceremony itself. Each look is made possible by a bustling local industry: kimono renters, fashion designers, hairdressers and