Exclusive Look: 55th Yumi Katsura Grand Collection
In February 2020, I attended the “55th Yumi Katsura Grand Collection in Tokyo”. It was a bridalwear show. I was ecstatic to receive an invitation from one of Japan’s premier fashion designers. It was gratefully accepted with both hands.
Of course, it was my first time to photograph such an event. I’d even shot only one model before that. And that was at Yoyogi Park. This time, it was at the prestigious Hotel Okura in Tokyo’s Minato Ward.
I arrived at Hotel Okura in old jeans and a jumper. Was I a little casual? That was an understatement. I was blown away when I walked into the reception. Everyone was at their fashionable best. I felt quite the fool.
What else would you expect at a Yumi Katsura event? I should have known better. But fashion has never been my strong point. Ask anyone who knows me.
My minders put me at ease. “Rohan, you’re a photographer. No one cares what you wear”, they said. Those few words helped. Anyway, the room was dark when the show started, so it didn’t matter at all.
It was an incredible event for a budding photographer. The clothes were great. There were many beautiful and handsome models. Yumi had invited all of Tokyo’s rich and famous.
Who is Yumi Katsura?
Yumi Katsura is a Japanese fashion designer specializing in wedding dresses. She has been working in the fashion industry for more than sixty years. Her designs combine traditional Japanese elements and French savoir-faire.
She was born in 1932 but is still working today! Her accomplishments include:
- Opened Japan’s first bridal store in Akasaka, in 1964.
- Designed Pope John Paul II’s 1993 Easter vestments.
- Published more than twenty books on bridal fashion. Her English one is, “Yumi Katsura: Behind the Scenes.”
- A wedding gown using ultra-fine silk from Fukushima. The dress used 55 meters of fabric but weighed only 600 grams.
- The Guinness World Record for most pearls in a wedding dress, 13,262.
Photo gear for this event
- Fujifilm X-T2 camera.
- Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lens.
Reflections from the day
- I was happy with my photos of the event. It went better than I expected. I used the 55-200 mm lens for it. While I didn’t have the best gear, it performed well. Read my review of it here.
- The only problem was me! I was nervous and so stayed in the same place. If I could photograph this event again, I would move around the room more.
- Then, I could have got pictures from different angles. That is my one regret. To act boldly would have gotten me better results. Still, I’m satisfied with this first try.
Conclusion
Well, for that first article, I only published eight photographs. It was always my plan to write another with more images. So now, I have finally gotten around to it. Yes, it’s taken a long time, I know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them.
And there is one more reason for this article. Recently, I tore my calf muscle while running for a train! That has reduced my mobility considerably. So, it gives me another reason to publish older photographs. Leave questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
Here are more model articles:
External related websites:
- Yumi Katsura (official website)