2025.01.20

Costume Artist Kodue Hibino – Outfit Designer for Aina The End & Aoi Yamada – Contemplates "True Clothing"

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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.