Kim Kardashian’s 'Kimono' Shapewear Line Criticized for Appropriating Japanese Culture

There's been another development in the Kardashianverse, and—as is standard issue at this point—there's also a great deal of subsequent criticism to speak of.

Kim Kardashian, per the Los Angeles Times, has Kimono and related variants (Kimono Body, Kimono Intimates, Kimono World) among an assortment of filed trademarks still awaiting review. Tuesday, she announced the launch of Kimono "solutionwear" with a message shouting out campaign photographer (and frequent Kanye West collaborator) Vanessa Beecroft. West designed the new brand's logo.

Characterizing her latest creation as "a new approach" to the crafting of shapewear Tuesday, Kardashian recalled the years she spent having to cutup shapewear to form her own styles, with limited color selection only adding to the difficulty that ultimately inspired the Kimono move.

An official Kimono Instagram account, which has already amassed more than 100,000 followers, offers a deeper dive into the looks:

Following the news, many were less-than-enthused by the choice of name, given that the kimono in the classical sense already exists as a traditional Japanese garment, one that's notably also become a fashion staple in recent years favored by West himself and others in various incarnations.

BBC News Japanese editor Yuko Kato, for example, was an early critic of the line's name and asked Kardashian to reconsider naming the "nice underwear" after the garment.