Kati Rimo

McQueen’s “croquet”-style dress shows an interlocking octagon and floral medallion pattern with international resonance. Known in Tibetan as kati rimo (“brocade design”), it was introduced from China through imported silks and adapted widely across Tibet (in goods such as Buddhist temple hangings and painted wooden trunks), as well as in Japan, where it became known as shokkō. McQueen’s affinity for Japanese dress and his personal adoption of Buddhism may have informed his awareness of this pattern. By reimagining a historical textile for contemporary fashion, his collection continues the legacy of cross-cultural pollination evident throughout textile history.