Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka advanced to the second round of the US Open on Tuesday wearing a pleated sports dress that she said was inspired by the fashion of magical girls. It was Osaka’s first appearance at the event in two years.
Osaka worked with Nike and fashion designer Yoon Ahn to create two distinct looks for the US Open — one black, one green. Everything was designed with magical girl anime and Japanese Lolita fashion in mind, from the puff sleeves with gathered skirts to the large, oversized bows.
“The inspiration that fueled the look for me – and this might be a Japanese term – is that I feel like a ‘magical girl’ on the court,” Osaka said in a press release“There’s a moment of transformation for me when I walk onto the pitch, and I have a lot of fun playing, so it’s a really big motivation for me to want everyone who sees the kit to be able to identify with that feeling.”
Osaka doesn’t wear the big skirts on court; the one with ruffles is specifically for the walk-on, as is the jacket and the huge bow. Osaka wears an athletic tennis dress to wear during her matches, which also features ruffles and bows. The look is designed down to her feet, where she wears socks and sneakers with bows. Osaka called the fashion “almost like a super suit” in an interview with The New York TimesEven her headphones, which she wore on the tennis court, are decorated with ruffles and beautiful bows.
Sailor Moon is one of the most famous magical girl anime series, and one of the most iconic in general. But Card catcher Sakura seems more of an inspiration for Osaka’s look, with his iconic dresses and big bows. Osaka’s black skirt, with its pleated underlayer, is reminiscent of Sakura Kinomoto’s skirt in that series. The magical girl genre is known for its fashion, but more importantly, the role fashion plays in the powerful transformations of characters.
“I really like the color green. I feel like it gives me peace and serenity. I think colors give you power,” Osaka told The New York Times. “For me, black is power. For me, it’s the color of a supersuit. I feel a little bit like Black Panther.”