The Survival Strategy of the Japanese Kimono Industry

Abstract

This chapter investigates changes in the market for traditional dress in Japan in the second half of the twentieth century. The textile industry has been regarded as ‘declining’ or mature industry in Japan since around the 1970s, and imports from developing countries with lower wages have increased rapidly. Although domestic production of textiles has decreased, increasing imports have not destroyed all subsectors. Instead, the market for Japanese kimono has expanded with the increase in disposable income accompanying Japan’s economic growth. While the scale of the kimono market has shrunk in favour of Western clothes for everyday wear, the market for high-quality kimonos as luxury goods for special and formal occasions has survived. Production changes in Nishijin, the most advanced weaving district in Japan, provide a good example of this transition from low- to high-quality kimono.