TRADITIONAL KIMONOS INFORM THE NEW KIN COLLECTION, UPDATED WITH GRAPHIC PATTERNS, OVERSIZED CUTS AND EXAGGERATED DETAILS

Japanese fishing villages may not be the most obvious source of inspiration when it comes to design direction, but then Kin isn’t your average fashion label. Since launching six years ago, John Lewis & Partners’ in-house brand has masterfully catered to a desire for slowness and understatement. ‘We appreciate the less-is-more mindset,’ says Helen Prior, Partner & Senior Designer, Womenswear, ‘and we’ve just built on it over the seasons.’

This season, Helen and the team referenced the most enduring item worn in Japan to spark a new idea: the kimono. Vintage robes – some of them mere remnants from elaborate, decades-old kimonos – were sourced from antique fairs, markets and specialist dealers in the UK and abroad.

Underpinned by an appreciation of the workwear and utility-style dress of remote Japan, the result is a capsule of kimono-inspired tops, skirts and dresses. At least one distinguishing feature of the kimono – oversized silhouette, cropped wide sleeves or envelope cuffs – is evident across all the pieces. Directional yet wearable, or as Helen puts it: ‘statement but understated,’ the range is unlike any other high-summer offering thanks to the asymmetric angles, graphic prints and interesting tie details.

Take the Seiji printed tie front dress, with its check-style print, navy cotton, exaggerated sleeves and mandarin collar. Perfect with white trainers, it’s the sort of piece you can return to year after year, attracting lots of compliments along the way. ‘It’s a statement piece in itself, but a quiet one,’ says Helen. ‘You can wear it without feeling like you’re making a massive noise.’

Another standout piece is the trapeze tie dress, a simple A-line cotton gown adorned with white topstitching, which comes with a tie belt. You can style the belt myriad ways – wrapped around several times like an obi, or once with the remainder hanging down. Layered with a tee or roll-neck into the cooler months, it’s effortlessly versatile.

Other pieces are just as hard-working: you could sport the Chaen lantern dress over trousers, or on its own with sandals on holiday. Helen says she would wear the twist front poplin dress in bright red to a wedding. The overall colour palette echoes the shades created from the dyeing techniques used in the remote villages. ‘That’s why some colours look quite natural – they only use natural sources,’ explains Helen. So if you’re looking for a directional yet playful alternative to summer’s key trends, you may have just hit the jackpot.