We're going to The Decorative Fair

Happy New Year All! We have put down the Bollinger and Brie and are getting ready for the Winter Edition of The Decorative Fair 20th to 25th January 2026 in Battersea Park. Rogers-Forghani will be at stand A03.

Rogers-Forghani will be presenting a rare and evocative collection of Japanese woodblock prints drawn from a late-19th-century kimono pattern book published in Osaka by Yamanaka Kichirobei. These works offer a compelling visual record of Japan at a moment of profound transformation—when tradition, industry and Western influence converged to reshape everyday life, fashion and design.

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Japan Opens to the World: The Meiji Period (1868–1912)

The Meiji era marked Japan’s rapid opening to the outside world after centuries of isolation. With this came a dramatic influx of Western ideas, technologies and aesthetics—nowhere more visible than in the evolution of kimono design.

Government-backed industrialisation led to the construction of modern silk mills, significantly increasing silk production. Once a luxury material, silk became more affordable and varied. New fabrics such as crepe, figured satin, omeshi and meisen entered widespread use, while advances in dyeing techniques—particularly yūzen—made possible increasingly sophisticated and imaginative patterns.

Kimono designs of the early Meiji period retained an underlying restraint. For everyday wear, simple cotton kimonos remained common, reflecting lingering sumptuary laws that discouraged extravagance. Even formal garments, such as silk furisode, favoured subdued ground colours with decoration concentrated at the hem or sleeve ends. Maru obi were woven in restrained tones, often black or brown, yet intricately patterned on both sides.

By the later Meiji period, colour palettes brightened, sleeve lengths increased, and softer crepes became fashionable. Indigo and navy dominated, enlivened with patterns such as kasuri, plaids, stripes and arrows. During this time, women adopted the haori, previously men’s attire, and a new hybridity emerged: kimono worn with Western accessories—hats, walking sticks, even cloaks inspired by European dress.

One of the most significant stylistic shifts was the widespread adoption of hakama, particularly among women. As girls’ schools proliferated and Western desks and chairs replaced tatami classrooms, hakama proved practical and symbolic. Paired with lace-up boots, the look became an enduring emblem of educated modern womanhood—still worn today at graduation ceremonies.

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As the fervour for Western dress cooled, many women returned to kimono—though not to the past. The Taishō era ushered in a richly creative period known as Taishō Romanticism, characterised by individual expression and a poetic fusion of Japanese tradition with European art movements.

Early Taishō kimono favoured understated elegance: black, grey and plain weaves such as omeshi, meisen and Oshima tsumugi. Soon, however, bold colour and pattern reasserted themselves. The spread of chemical dyes and the influence of Art Nouveau introduced flowing lines, vivid hues and pictorial designs previously unseen in Japanese dress.

By the late Taishō period, the impact of Art Deco was unmistakable. Geometric abstraction, dynamic colour blocks and stylised motifs transformed everyday kimono into expressions of modern design. Large, ornate collars were worn with confidence, and long haori became central to fashionable dress. It was also during this period that homongi, the semi-formal kimono still worn today, was created—first marketed by Mitsukoshi as the Japanese equivalent of a Western visiting dress.

Yet modernity carried risks. The devastating Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 exposed the impracticality of certain elaborate styles, accelerating the shift toward Western clothing. By 1924, the Tokyo Women’s and Children’s Clothing Association had formed, marking a decisive step toward westernisation.

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The Pattern Books: Design for Living

The nine works in this collection originate from a three-volume pattern book titled

Moyō hinagata Naniwa no ume (Kimono Patterns: Plums of Naniwa), published in Osaka in 1886 by Yamanaka Kichirobei.

Such pattern books were essential tools for kimono makers and consumers alike—repositories of fashionable motifs that translated broader cultural change into wearable design. Executed as woodblock prints (ukiyo-e), allowing ideas to circulate widely across social classes.

One design in the collection features a lyrical arrangement of waves and pine trees motifs rich in symbolism. Waves suggest continuity and resilience; pine trees longevity and steadfastness. Together, they form a poetic meditation on nature, perfectly attuned to a society balancing reverence for the past with optimism for the future.

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Removed from their original function, these woodblock designs now read as striking works of graphic art. Their clarity of line, rhythmic pattern and balanced composition feel surprisingly contemporary—sitting effortlessly in modern interiors and resonating with collectors of both Japanese art and early modern design.

They also tell a deeper story: of how fashion responds to social change, how global influences are absorbed and transformed, and how beauty persists even amid upheaval.

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See the Collection at The Decorative Fair

We are delighted to be exhibiting this collection of nine framed kimono woodblocks at the Winter Decorative Fair. Whether you are drawn by Japanese art, textile history, or the dialogue between East and West, these works offer a rare opportunity to acquire pieces that are at once decorative, historical and deeply human.

The Decorative Fair – Winter Fair

Battersea Park, London

https://decorativefair.com/winter-fair/

We look forward to welcoming you.