The Palestinian obi was made by a group of refugees- Kimono Project Olympics 2020/2021

Palestine kimono and obi on a model. Kimono Project

 

  "The majority of the pieces were made by Japanese designers using traditional methods, except for two. The Palestinian obi was made by a group of refugees, and the Indonesian kimono was decorated with batik, the country’s traditional method of wax-resistant dyeing.

“It was one of the interesting parts of our project," Shimizu says of Palestine’s obi, which was designed by Maki Yamamoto. "There are various techniques, locality or design patterns of dyeing and weaving in Japan. [Lead designer] Takakura thought deeply to fit the image of the country with the creator's art style when he assigned who was in charge.

“Regarding the Palestinian kimono, we knew Maki Yamamoto had a long experience of working with Palestinian embroiderers to make obis, so we assigned her as a designer.”

In a Facebook post, Yamamoto explained that the Palestinian obi took two years to make and she visited the country six times during the process, at her own expense. She collaborated with the Society of Inash al Usra, a higher education foundation that offers scholarships to university students in Palestine.

Yamamoto says she participated in the project because, although it would be a “challenge”, it would be a “great opportunity to showcase Palestinian embroidery to people all over the world”.

 https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2021/08/03/kimono-project-213-kimonos-created-to-represent-countries-competing-in-tokyo-olympics/

Kimono Project: 213 kimonos created to represent countries competing in Tokyo Olympics

Each custom-made garment represents ‘harmony and unity’ and took six years to complete, costing almost $20,000 per piece

more from different countries can be found here https://soranews24.com/2021/07/30/country-kimono-project-completes-set-of-over-200-designs-for-every-nation-at-tokyo-olympics%e3%80%90pics%e3%80%91/

Country kimono! Project completes set of over 200 designs for every nation at Tokyo Olympics

 The U.S.A. kimono is particularly diverse, with the country’s flag fashioned out of flowers (including cherry blossoms subbing for stars), a majestic bald eagle, and a from-space view of the southern and eastern coastline. 

Heading over to Great Britain, we see such iconic sites as Elizabeth Tower and the Tower of London