Major Tartan Exhibition in Japan

We were contacted a year ago by a translator working on behalf of the Kobe Shimbun newspaper in Japan. They had looked at our website and tartan designs and decided to include one of our tartan themed wedding dresses and also a tartan evening dress in the exhibition.

A visit to our showroom was arranged in November by Japanese delegation comprising of a lovely lady representing the newspaper, the exhibition designer and curators of the art galleries where the exhibition will tour 5 major cities over two years.

They commissioned two dresses that would be designed especially for the exhibition that would represent Joyce Young. Firstly sketches were prepared which were sent to Japan and the exhibition committee chose two designs to go forward and be made up.

Along with the dresses on display will be a slide show of our brides who have been married in Scotland wearing tartan. I felt it was important that the visitors to the exhibition see the wedding dresses in context of a true Scottish wedding and the best way is to show real life weddings. In these images the Japanese visitors not only see the grooms in kilts and the pipers and the amazing Scottish venues but also get a glimpse of our glorious landscapes.

I am very much hoping that as well as learning all about tartan at the exhibition Japanese engaged couples will be inspired to consider Scotland – a romantic far off land – as the location for their weddings.

Dresses on Display

In the Japanese Tartan Exhibition we have on display a wedding dress exclusively designed for Kobe Shimbun Newspaper and an evening dress commissioned by the exhibition organisers. These designs were chosen from sketches submitted to Kobe Shimbun. The wedding dress incorporates Fraser tartan and the evening dress is designed with our own By Storm silk tartan incorporating black french guipure and beaded tassels.

A Word from Kobe Shimbun

The following explains the content and ideas behind the Exhibition by Kobe Shimbun: “Regardless of age, gender, race and ethnicity, Tartan has been everyone’s favourite. Japan is not an exception. We see Tartan in many scenes such as fashion, accessories, a variety of packaging products, and school uniforms in Japan. Having said so, we seem to be unaware of “what Tartan is”.

This exhibition aims to make a proper introduction about tartan. It deals with art & design, history and its background to understand what it is and what it means from a variety of perspectives. It plans to display over 150 kinds of Tartan (fabric or alternatives), a number of artworks and relevant materials, including documents and information.

We also focus on the role of Tartan in contemporary society. Tartan is not a thing of the past, keeps evolving and re-generating itself throughout Scotland and beyond. The exhibition aims to lead the audience to explore further possibilities and potentials in the world of tartan, motivating them to visit Scotland in the future.