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Okinawa's Unique Wearable Culture: The Love for Hometown & Identity Shown by "Kariyushi Wear"
If you have ever traveled to Okinawa in the summer, think back to your experience. Whether it was at Naha Airport, supermarkets, restaurants, or hotels, haven't you seen people wearing colorful shirts?
These shirts may all have matching designs or unique patterns for each person. Seeing such people makes many feel, "I have arrived in Okinawa."
Those "colorful shirts" are indeed the uniquely developed "Kariyushi Wear" of Okinawa.
It might be surprising, but around 90% of people working in Okinawa switch to Kariyushi Wear when it gets warm. This is because it is considered formal summer attire in Okinawa.
Why has the culture of Kariyushi Wear developed so uniquely in Okinawa? To explore the reasons, we spoke to Erika Mino from the Okinawa Apparel Sewing Industrial Association, which manages the trademarks, tags, wholesale, and PR planning for Kariyushi Wear.
PROFILE
Eriko Mino
Joined Okinawa Apparel Sewing Industrial Association in Heisei 30 (2018), appointed director in Reiwa 2 (2020).
Inspired by Aloha Shirts
Mino, who responded to our interview, was wearing a refreshing Kariyushi Wear with a blue no-collar shirt featuring the traditional Okinawan craft "Bingata" around the collar.
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