Liberty Japan Co., Ltd. Celebrates Liberty’s 150-year history of arts, culture, and design with an exhibition celebrating British creativity and innovation at the British Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
Liberty Japan Co., Ltd. Press Release: August 1, 2025 Celebrating Liberty’s 150-year history of art, culture, and design, an exhibition celebrating British creativity and innovation will be held at the British Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98269/8/98269-8-8851444a60bc11bb108f3c2637452c92-3900×2600.jpg The British Pavilion at Expo 2020 Osaka, Kansai will host a
groundbreaking exhibition celebrating creativity, cultural exchange and innovation by world-renowned retailer and design house Liberty, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The exhibition, titled “I Am. We Are. Liberty.”, offers a rare opportunity to experience one of the UK’s most important and extensive design archives up close. It ran to great acclaim at Liberty’s Tudor-style flagship store on Regent Street from April to the end of July this year, welcoming many visitors from around the world, including Japan. The exhibition will then move to the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, where it will be on display from August 30 to September 12, 2025. This exhibition features over 300 notable archival works, including rare artwork, textile designs, and pattern books dating back to the 1800s, as well as Liberty design materials, demonstrating Liberty’s continuing influence on global design and its pioneering spirit at the intersection of art, commerce, and innovation. “I Am. We Are. Liberty.”, curated by renowned art historian Esther Cohen, explores Liberty’s deep ties to Japan. In 1889, Liberty founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty and his wife Emma spent three months traveling throughout Japan, including Kyoto and Tokyo, at the height of Japonism in Britain. This journey profoundly influenced Liberty’s creative philosophy and led to the creation of numerous designs inspired by Japanese aesthetics. This exhibition will also feature valuable materials related to this visit, such as early textile works and a photographic travel journal written by Arthur’s wife, Emma,
documenting the trip.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98269/8/98269-8-20d61b0852acf065c3d8ef7d96c1505a-3000×2559.jpg Japan is currently Liberty’s second-largest sales market in the world. A Liberty subsidiary has been established in Japan since the 1980s, and the company also has a dedicated design studio that creates original and adapted prints for the Japanese market. Representative collections include collaborations with designer Akira Minagawa, patterns featuring Hello Kitty and Peanuts, and delicate floral designs inspired by Japanese botanical encyclopedias. On the occasion of the opening of the Liberty 150th Anniversary Special Exhibition “I Am. We Are. Liberty,” Andrea Petochi, Managing Director of Liberty, and Carolyn Davidson, UK Representative for Expo Osaka-Kansai, said: “To mark 150 years of Liberty’s dedication to art, culture, and design, we are collaborating with the British Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai to present a curated selection of Liberty designs and a celebratory exhibition, ‘I Am. We Are.'” We are honored to host the “Liberty Expo.” Japanese craftsmanship has long inspired our designs, dating back to our founder, Sir Arthur Lasenby Liberty, traveling to Japan in the late Edo period and being deeply impressed by its artistic excellence. More than a century later, it continues to inspire our designers, and this Expo provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the influence Japanese design has had on Liberty’s creative evolution. – Andrea Petocchi, Managing Director, Liberty “Liberty represents Britain’s creative ingenuity and global cultural influence. The Liberty archives are more than a record of artistic heritage; they are a testament to Britain’s leadership in design innovation, from early printmaking techniques to cutting-edge sustainable textiles. This exhibition embodies the vision of the British Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: celebrating our heritage while driving innovation that will shape our shared future.” – Carolyn Davidson, UK
Representative for Expo 2020 Osaka-Kansai Since its founding in 1875, Liberty has built a global network of leading creatives at the forefront of innovation. From prints worn by music legends like David Bowie and The Beatles, to collaborations with students and emerging designers from around the world, to forward-thinking initiatives toward sustainable textile manufacturing, the exhibition highlights Liberty’s unique position at the crossroads of culture and commerce, and celebrates its connections with the artists, designers, and artisans who support its reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, carefully curated selections, and artisanal design.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98269/8/98269-8-811e0328b689d81a79b5151c2b58be66-2005×2700.jpg In addition, to allow visitors to take home a piece of British design heritage, the British Pavilion will be selling a selection of Liberty print scarves, as well as limited-edition furoshiki wrapping cloths in collaboration with Marusen, a long-established Kyoto-based
manufacturer of Tango crepe. Liberty 150th Anniversary Special Exhibition “I Am. We Are. Liberty.” Exhibition Overview Dates: Saturday, August 30, 2025 to Friday, September 12, 2025 Time: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (subject to change depending on events, etc.) Location: 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo Venue UK Pavilion (Yumeshima Life Protection Zone) Event details can also be found on the UK Pavilion official website. Japanese – https://www.ukatexpo2025.uk/website/15789/jpn/events/ English – https://www.ukatexpo2025.uk/website/15789/events/ Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98269/8/98269-8-ac4d4f9c219018c5a4292fbfefa731e7-3900×2601.jpg Liberty is a culture that lives on among people who love beauty and creativity. Art, culture, design—guided by a desire for beauty, we have always enjoyed new encounters. Items carefully selected with a unique perspective, cutting-edge designs, and the beauty created by the hands of artisans—all of these things quietly live on within Liberty. The spirit of founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty—freedom, individuality, and a desire to deliver beautiful things to
everyone—continues to drive Liberty today.
https://www.libertylondon.com/ https://www.liberty-japan.co.jp/ #Liberty150Years @libertylondon | @libertyjapan @libertyfabrics | @libertyfabricsjapan For more information about this release
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