Tets Kimura | Wool and Silk: Raw Fashion Materials to Build an Initial Australia-Japan Relationship Within the Asia-Pacific

This event will be held both on-campus and online via Zoom (a link to the online stream will be sent to registered attendees).

This presentation examines the foundational role of raw fashion materials—specifically Australian wool and Japanese silk—in establishing initial Australia-Japan relations. Before the emergence of formal political diplomacy and more recent defence cooperation, these commodities acted as silent agents of linking the two nations economically and symbolically. This work-in-progress seminar will draw on trade records, archival documents, visual culture, and Japanese language materials kept at ANU’s Menzies Library collection, highlighting how wool and silk were not merely economic products but also carriers of cultural meaning, shaping mutual perceptions between Australians and Japanese.

Despite growing unease within Australia’s defence sectors over Japan’s expansion in the early 20th century, Japan was emerging as a significant trade partner. As Japan adopted Western-style clothing, its demand for imported wool increased steadily. By the financial year 1931–32, Japan had overtaken France to become Australia’s second-largest market for wool, following the United Kingdom. To support and maintain this vital trade relationship, Japanese traders were granted exemptions from the dictation test—a key mechanism of the White Australia Policy designed to restrict Asian immigration. By the eve of the “trade war” in 1936 that disrupted bilateral commerce, all major Japanese sōgō shōsha (general trading companies) had established offices in Sydney or Melbourne, facilitating two-way trade: exporting Australian wool to Japan and importing Japanese silk to Australia. For example, seven Japanese companies were registered to purchase Australian wool, while 14 companies were registered to import Japanese silk. The firm Kanematsu had already begun selling silk handkerchiefs in Australia as early as 1892. Although the majority of Japanese silk exports were destined for Europe and the United States, silk nonetheless played a notable role in fostering early Australia-Japan relations.

While the Second World War positioned Australia and Japan as wartime enemies, the post-war period witnessed efforts by Australia to normalise relations and revive romanticised perceptions of Japan—as a land of cherry blossoms and gracious, kimono-clad women. The use of Australian wool in Japanese textile production became particularly symbolic. It is thus not surprising that in the early 1960s, the figure of “Miss Wool Japan” toured Australia as a performing mannequin dressed in high-quality kimono made from fine Australian wool. Her visit to major Australian cities served not only as a cultural bridge but also as a diplomatic reassurance to Australian wool producers that their product was being valued and beautifully utilised. This campaign exemplified a form of neutral cultural respect and economic cooperation that helped soften lingering wartime animosities and reinforced bilateral ties through fashion diplomacy. The neutral respect embodied in the wool trade—through both the consumption of wool and the imagery associated with it—played a significant role in shaping influential relationships between Australia and Japan. These sustained efforts toward economic and cultural cooperation culminated in the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan in 1976.

In the end, this presentation argues that while fashion and raw fashion commodities were not typically recognised as a diplomatic tool, it served as a vital medium of connection, diplomacy and cultural influence. This study offers a new perspective on how fashion can illuminate understudied dimensions of transnational history and people-to-people diplomacy. Furthermore, by focusing on two Asia-Pacific nations situated outside the dominant Euro-American fashion centres, this project challenges the prevailing notion that fashion is a cultural domain primarily defined by Western aesthetics. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for my long-term academic goal of rethinking fashion through a more diverse and inclusive lens—one that recognises the creative and cultural contributions of the Asia-Pacific.

Tets Kimura completed his PhD on Japanese fashion and soft power at Flinders University in 2019, where he holds affiliated academic status. His forthcoming monograph, Fashion, Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy: A Case Study of Japanese Fashion in Australia, is set to be published by Bloomsbury in 2026. This book project is supported by the 2024 Australian Academy of the Humanities’ Publication Subsidy Scheme and the International Australian Studies Association’s Early Career Researcher Publishing Subsidy Scheme. In addition, he is co-editing an edited book with Associate Professor Richard Bullen (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) titled Captured Arts: The Art of Japanese Imprisoned in Australasia during World War II, to be published by Hong Kong University Press next year. As his current book projects reveal, his research spans two main fields; fashion studies and Australia-Japan relations, which is reflected in his forthcoming Sir William Dobell Visiting Fellowship at the ANU’s School of Art & Design. His latest publications include “Japan’s National Clothing during the Second World War: Material Shortages, War Mentality and the Kokuminfuku” (Critical Studies in Men's Fashion, 2024), “Memories and Displays of Japan's Early Industrialisation through the Production of Silk” (Routledge Handbook of Trauma in East Asia, 2023), and “Repatriated from Home as Enemy Aliens: Forgotten Lived Experiences of Japanese-Australians during the Second World War” (Journal of Australian Studies, 2023). To date, he completed major fellowships in Japan, Taiwan, and Australia, including the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Studies Fellowship (2021-22), Taiwan’s Ministry of Education’s postdoctoral fellowship at National Chengchi University in Taipei (2024), and National Library of Australia Fellowship (2023-24)..

Image: Miss Reiko Nakamura - "Miss Wool Japan" - paid a brief visit to Canberra on 6-7 March, during a 20-day tour of Australia as part of her prize for winning the "Miss Wool Japan" title. During her stay in Canberra, Miss Nakamura was the guest of honour at a reception, given by the Japanese Ambassador to Australia, Mr Saburo Ohta. She is shown here with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Trade, Mr A.R. Carmody (left) and the Secretary of the Department of Primary Industry, Mr A.C.B. Maiden, at the reception. Photographer, A. Edwards. © National Archives of Australia, Canberra.

The School of Art & Design Seminar series will continue weekly on Tuesdays from 1-2pm, between 17 February and 21 October 2025, co-convened by Dr Alex Burchmore and Alia Parker.