Sugino Costume Museum About us



	Sugino Costume Museum, the first costume museum in Japan, was established in 1957 (the 32th year of Showa) by Yoshiko Sugino, founder of Sugino Gakuen. Yoshiko Sugino was aware that in order to promote dressmaking education in Japan, where Western culture had just arrived, it would be necessary to provide a place where people could closely observe the historical development of Western costumes. She opened the museum to display Western costumes that she had collected herself for the education of the students. As an affiliated facility supporting dressmaking education at Sugino Gakuen, the museum engages in activities such as collecting, investigating, studying, and displaying various works related to fashion. Through these activities, the museum aims to promote recognition and understanding of fashion culture. The collection of materials includes Western garments, which are the basis of the collection, as well as Japanese kimonos, costumes for women serving the palace in the Heian era (Juni-hitoe, twelve-layered ceremonial kimono), Asian and European folk costumes, and fashion illustrations. The museum also stores 30 paper mannequins from the 1950s to 1970s, which show the historical transformation of Japanese mannequins. *The building which houses the costume museum was designed by Shigeichi Sugino, the first chief director, and is based on the Western architecture of the time. This building is a valuable reference for the building construction style used around the 30th year of Showa (around 1955).