Naomi Osaka opens Wimbledon in kimono-inspired look with Mikimoto jewelry

Naomi Osaka opened Wimbledon in a custom kimono-inspired look by Tokyo designer Yaga Hani, then let the real dress code do its work underneath. The ensemble carried cranes and cherry blossoms, motifs tied to good fortune, renewal and longevity, and its detachable layers peeled back to a white Nike tennis kit, a clever answer to Wimbledon’s rule that on-court clothing be almost entirely white with no solid panels of color.

The jewelry was the sharpest lesson in restraint. Osaka wore a traditional kanzashi hair ornament, then added Mikimoto rings, a bracelet and earrings, giving the look polish without fighting the embroidery and layered construction of the outfit. That balance mattered: Mikimoto, founded in 1893, built its reputation on cultured pearls, and its core categories, from earrings and bracelets to brooches and pendants, fit Osaka’s blend of heritage references and modern sportswear cleanly.

Osaka said the look celebrated Japanese history and craftsmanship and felt “both powerful and delicate at the same time.” That description is exactly where the jewelry landed. Pearls, especially in the restrained scale Mikimoto favors, played the role of finish rather than focal point, which is the smartest move when clothing already carries narrative weight, movement and visual detail. The result was less costume than choreography, with the accessories chosen to echo the kimono references instead of competing with them.

The outfit also extended Osaka’s fashion run in 2026. She arrived at the Australian Open in a parasol, veil and butterfly-decorated oversized hat, wore an all-orange look with a headscarf in Madrid, and turned heads again at Roland Garros in a black corset-and-gold dress. At Wimbledon, where the Championships run 14 days from June 29 through July 12, the same instinct kept returning: make the entrance memorable, then keep the jewelry disciplined enough to let the silhouette and story breathe.

That formula has a long Wimbledon history. Lea Pericoli’s rose-trimmed dress in 1965 and Anne White’s all-white catsuit and leg warmers in 1985 both showed that the tournament’s strict palette can still make room for personality. Osaka, 28, born in Osaka, Japan, and a former World No. 1, has now made that tension part of her own identity, with Wimbledon listing her best singles result there as the fourth round in 2017, 2018 and 2025, reached again as she opened 2026 with a first-round win over qualifier Talia Gibson.