Fashion On Tiles：Dressing Up Across Time and Place

Decorative tiles, in addition to universal motifs such as geometric patterns or flora, sometimes also feature images of people whose appearance reflects the fashion of the time and place in which they lived. European military wear, the origin of the uniform; trendy children's clothes in sailor colors; the unisex fashion of Iranians who wrap themselves in expensive silk; Han Chinese costumes that exploit the efficiency of wearing garments in layers... We can see that the tiles of the world have helped to convey fashion trends of specific times and places. Through a variety of decorative techniques, these tiles add to the rich diversity of the fashion they depict.

For this exhibition, we carefully selected some 80 examples from our collection at the INAX MUSEUMS. We illuminate the variety of fashion found on these tiles, along with how the tiles were used, their decorative techniques, and the cultural milieu behind the popularity of such motifs. We hope you will enjoy taking a fresh look at the world's tiles as they tell us about fashion spanning a variety of times and places.

INAX MUSEUMS