The History of Clothing

Modern · East Asia · 1900 - Present

Modern East Asian Clothing

East Asian fashion in the modern era evolved from revolutionary uniforms and colonial-era adaptations to become a global force in streetwear and avant-garde design.

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Revolution, Reform, and National Dress

Two women in close-fitting qipao playing golf, 1930s Shanghai soap advertisement Shanghai advertising poster, 1930s. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

The early twentieth century brought radical changes to East Asian clothing as nations grappled with modernization and Western influence. In China, the Zhongshan suit (later known in the West as the Mao suit) emerged as a symbol of republican modernity, replacing the long robes and Manchu-influenced garments of the Qing dynasty. For women, the qipao (or cheongsam) evolved from a loose Manchu garment into the figure-hugging, high-collared dress that became an icon of 1920s and 1930s Shanghai glamour. After 1949, the People's Republic promoted utilitarian dress — plain jackets and trousers in a narrow range of colors such as navy blue, grey, and brown — as an expression of socialist egalitarianism.

In Japan, the Meiji-era shift toward Western clothing accelerated through the twentieth century. By the postwar period, most Japanese wore Western-style clothes daily, with the kimono reserved for ceremonies, festivals, and formal occasions. South Korea followed a similar trajectory, with the hanbok gradually shifting from everyday wear to dress for ceremonies, holidays, and weddings over the course of the century. Across the region, the adoption of Western garments was not mere imitation but a selective process, with local tailoring traditions and aesthetic preferences reshaping borrowed forms.

Streetwear, K-Fashion, and Global Influence

Young man with bleached yellow hair, cream jacket, and clear umbrella on a Tokyo street at night Harajuku street snap, January 2018. Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries saw East Asia emerge as a dominant force in global fashion. Japan led the way: Issey Miyake had shown in Paris since 1973, and in the early 1980s Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto astonished the Paris fashion world with deconstructed, oversized, and asymmetrical garments that challenged Western conventions of beauty and fit. Tokyo's street fashion, above all the experimental, colorful styles of the Harajuku district, became an object of global fascination, while the simple, affordable basics of brands like Uniqlo and Muji spread to stores worldwide.

South Korea's K-fashion rose to international prominence alongside the Korean Wave (Hallyu) of the 2010s and 2020s. K-pop idols and Korean drama stars became style icons, driving demand for a look that blended streetwear with polished, often gender-neutral styling. Chinese fashion experienced its own renaissance as designers like Guo Pei and Uma Wang gained global recognition, while a new generation of consumers embraced guochao — a movement celebrating Chinese heritage through contemporary design. The modern qipao found new life in this context, reinterpreted by young designers who blended traditional silhouettes with modern fabrics and construction.

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