We Can’t Get Over Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon ‘Fit

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Naomi Osaka of Japan walks onto the court to play against Elsa Jacquemot of France in the first round on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2026 in London, England (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)

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It seems like every time we write about Naomi Osaka, we're talking about what she's wearing, and that's for good reason. That's hardly a coincidence. So when she stepped onto the grounds of Wimbledon this year, it was almost guaranteed she'd deliver a look—and, fittingly, one of the tournament's first major fashion moments.

This year’s Wimbledon has already attracted heightened attention. Serena Williams's long-awaited and unexpected return to tennis has dominated headlines with her comeback in singles competition. But before the matches fully settled in, Osaka offered a reminder that some of the tournament's most memorable statements happen before a single ball is hit.

Ahead of her opening-round match against French player Elsa Jacquemot, Osaka arrived in the players’ tunnel draped in a custom all-white kimono layered over a floral Nike performance dress. The ensemble was woven with tradition in mind from every angle. Wimbledon has famously enforced its all-white dress code for nearly 150 years, a ritual observed by players and echoed by many guests. Osaka embraced that legacy while weaving in another of her own, choosing the kimono as an homage to her Japanese heritage.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has long used fashion to tell stories about identity. In previous tournaments, she’s worn custom Nike sneakers emblazoned with the Haitian flag, nodding to her Haitian roots. This time, she turned toward Japan, centering the kimono—one of the country's most enduring cultural garments, with origins stretching back more than 1,200 years. Popularized during Japan's Heian period, the kimono's unmistakable T-shaped silhouette remains one of fashion's most recognizable forms and is used to symbolize prosperity, marital status, wealth status, etc.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Naomi Osaka of Japan prepares prior to her Ladies' Singles first round match against Elsa Jacquemot of France on Day One of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 29, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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But this was far from a traditional recreation. Designed by Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi, the walk-on gown featured seven meticulously layered panels crafted from upcycled textiles. Embroidered cranes and cherry blossoms decorated the all-white garment, while Osaka completed the look with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament. Beneath it, she wore a white Nike performance dress inspired by Japanese kirigami paper-cutting techniques, complete with sculptural 3D floral appliqués that peeked through elongated pleats beneath the kimono.

Speaking to Wimbledon's reporters, Osaka “I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don't have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.”

She also revealed an unexpected pop-culture reference behind the design. “I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu's character in Kill Bill. She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing. Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.”

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns to France's Elsa Jacquemot during their women's singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2026. (Photo by Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

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When the kimono was removed, it revealed a performance-ready all-white Nike dress finished with delicate fringe and pleated, lightweight panels that echoed the movement and layering of the ceremonial outer garment. For Yagi, the transition between the two looks was always the point.

“I wanted the garment to exist as the moment before performance. The walk-on surrounds Naomi in ceremony, while the Nike kit represents the athlete in competition. I thought about them as two chapters within the same story.”

And while this will go down in history as another one of Osaka's 'fits, it was also a meditation on heritage, performance, and the rituals that surround both fashion and sport.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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