Articles
Costume Artist Kodue Hibino – Outfit Designer for Aina The End & Aoi Yamada – Contemplates "True Clothing"
As a costume artist, Kodue Hibino has created numerous works over many years. In her exhibition titled "60," held in 2018, which referenced her age at the time, she had written, "Before I turned 60, I discovered what I wanted to do: to dress people in true clothing."
What does Hibino mean by "true clothing"? We explored her journey and her views on costumes to find the answer, as she continues to thrive at the forefront of the costume industry.
PROFILE
Kodue Hibino
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, graduated from the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts.
As a costume artist, her work spans various fields such as advertising, theater, dance, ballet, film, and television. She has received numerous awards, including the Rookie Award at the Daily Fashion Awards, the Shiseido Encouragement Award, and the Individual Award at the Kinokuniya Theater Awards. Currently, she is responsible for the set costumes for NHK E-Tele's "Nihongo de Asobo." She has designed costumes for Kabuki performances like "Noda Version: Togi Tatsu no Utare" and "Noda Version: Under the Full Bloom of Cherry Trees," as well as contemporary plays by Hideki Noda such as "Usagi, Nami o Hashiru," "Fake Shakespear," "Seisankakukankei," and dance performances directed by Kaiji Moriyama like "Circus" at the New National Theatre, "Alice in Wonderland," and "The Little Prince: Letters from Saint-Exupéry" at KAAT. She is also currently developing various dance performances such as "WONDER WATER," "FLY, FLY, FLY," "Rinne," "Piece to Peace," "MAMMOTH," "RYU," "ROOT: Roots," and "UP AND DOWN," as well as "Two Alices" and "The Ant and the Grasshopper." In 2018, she held a solo exhibition titled "60 (rokujuu)" at the Ichihara Lakeside Art Museum, followed by another solo exhibition titled "Dance, the Ifuku / Dainasu Daizaiku" at the Dazaifu Tenmangu Document Museum and Kyushu National Museum in 2019, and another titled "Clothes Living in the Forest" at Sogo Museum in 2021, along with the 2022 solo exhibition "Wonder Forest Closet: Hibino Kodue x Kumamoto Exhibition" at the Kumamoto City Contemporary Art Museum.
She has participated in festivals such as the Noto International Art Festival, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field, and the Setouchi Triennale.
Currently active in the Noto Earthquake and Suzu Support Dance Project.
Official Website
"Big Clothes" & "Small Clothes"
First, could you tell us what prompted you to consider a career in fashion?
I originally graduated from the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts, so I hadn't considered working in the fashion industry.However, shortly after graduating, I created a shirt as an exhibition piece, and my friends wanted to wear it for a photo shoot. I felt there was a limit to what I could create from within myself, but I realized that clothing develops further when people wear it. From there, I began reaching out to various people and started creating things that resembled clothing.
Is there any specific reason you ended up working in the costume side of fashion?
It might be more accurate to say that what I create was a costume from the beginning, rather than me choosing the path of costume. I studied graphic design in university, so I've never actually studied fashion, and I can't even draft patterns, nor do I know the theories behind clothing.So, rather than saying that I'm making clothes, it feels closer to expressing myself through what I make for others to wear.
Can you tell us about a pivotal job you've had in your career so far?
My work on NHK E-Tele's "Nihongo de Asobo" has been pivotal. I began this collaboration more than 20 years ago, and it continues today. This role involves not only costumes but also the studio sets, allowing me to create spaces while considering the directorial aspect.Before this, I thought I had to assert myself through costumes, and I became overly focused on making them. But through my work on "Nihongo de Asobo," I came to understand that there exists a "big clothing" that encompasses the space itself, and that what I had been creating until then was "small clothing."
Costumes Are Closest to “People”
What role do you think costumes play in works such as theater and dance performances?
It’s something I strive for, but I believe it’s about expressing things visually rather than through words, expanding the world of the work.For instance, on stage, if there is a specific role, it is incredibly difficult for the audience to understand that role through dialogue alone. Even in "Nihongo de Asobo," simply reading a poet's work can be hard to grasp.
However, when the performer is wearing a costume, it visually explains who that person is and amplifies the words and movements expressed.
In creating integrated arts like theater and dance performances, the central element is “people,” but I believe costumes, which exist closest to those “people,” also play an important role.
What differences do you think exist between costumes and everyday clothing that people wear?
While everyday clothing may not have as clear of a theme or role as costumes, there is plenty of drama in daily life, so I think the fundamental role is the same. There are also cases where everyday clothes are used on stage as needed.To point out a difference, costumes are individually created, while everyday clothes can be mass-produced. The fabrics with processes and functions that can only be achieved through mass production are something I alone find difficult to create.
Although it is possible to do some things by hand over time, in many cases, it can be challenging to spend a long time on a single piece, as there may be cases where nearly 100 pieces need to be produced in a month, leading to feelings of envy towards everyday clothing.
The Fascination Arising from Human Interaction
In your exhibition “60” held in 2018, you mentioned wanting to “dress people in real clothes.” What do you consider to be “real clothes”?
As I've been creating clothes and interacting with people since my 20s, I came to realize at 60 that I do not want to make clothes.When I was a child, I didn't particularly enjoy communicating with others. Since it’s already tough to talk to people in everyday life, the job of dressing people inevitably involves communication. There were times when discussing things with the performers, or being told “I don’t like it,” was incredibly difficult for me.
However, as I continued working, communication started to feel more comfortable. I realized by age 60 that conversations can lead to new discoveries and allow us to share moving experiences together.
My perspective has not changed, and I feel closer to searching for people than simply making clothes.
Was there a specific moment that led to this realization?
I believe it was triggered by the Oku-Noto Triennale art festival held in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Starting in 2017, I was given the opportunity to plan things I wanted to try from scratch.Since then, I began to engage not only in work where I made pieces upon request but also in activities where I created performances inspired by clothes.
I think I began to feel the importance of what arises from communication while interacting with more people.
If you have clothes you would like to create in the future, please let us know.
As I mentioned earlier, rather than clothes, I’m looking for people with whom I want to create pieces together. Recently, I felt that way about Aoi Yamada and Aina The End, who participated in the work “Two Alices” in 2024.Based on the theme of “Two Alices,” which is also the title of the work, I showed Aoi the costume design sketch and communicated that I wanted someone else to dance alongside her. Aoi then suggested Aina.
At first, I was surprised and anxious about whether Aina, a former idol, would perform, as I had not met her directly. However, as rehearsals progressed, they approached the work in dance and music in ways I had not imagined.
I felt that they did not simply provide dance or singing, but rather wove together what “Alice” signifies for them at this age and in this era.
"Two Alices" is something I hope to perform again in a different setting. Even if it’s a piece I created before, with the passing of time and under the fresh sensibility of the characters, I believe it can be presented as a work enriched with new elements.
I hope to encounter people like the two of you, who respond to the clothing and mechanisms I create with reactions more interesting than I could imagine. I'm looking forward to dancing together wherever we may be.
Hibino designs not the clothing itself, but the atmosphere and worldview that emerge when a person wears the clothes. The core of that style has remained unchanged from the early days of her activities to the present. I'm eager to see how the "true clothing" Hibino continues to create will evolve as she continues to take on new challenges.
Header caption: TACT Festival, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Text by Shin Ishizuka
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