TOKYO — Among the edgy haute couture gowns and tailored suits paraded on the catwalks in Tokyo this week, one designer stood out for sticking to tradition, at least in its basic form.

Jotaro Saito’s collection of 32 mainly gray kimonos, printed with geometric and floral designs or made from patterned woven cloth, drew young and old to the Tokyo ’07/08 Autumn/Winter Collection, part of the Japan Fashion Week extravaganza.

At 36, Saito is one of Japan’s youngest kimono designers and his collection, The Hesei Hundred Greys, was inspired by a 200-year-old trend, the hundred greys, that began after an ancient law banned Japanese from overt displays of luxury and forced subtle colors into vogue.

"I am more interested in how to evolve a new Japan-ism into something cool," Saito told Reuters after the show.

"This may sound over the top, but I want to propose a cultural evolution rather than a sticking to the traditionally protected forms," he said.

Kimonos are no longer part of Japan’s daily wardrobe, but they remain loved by many women who still wear them at special occasions.

"I stand up straight and feel spruced up and happy to have been born Japanese," said Kaori Ide, who attended the show wearing a sleek black and red kimono with a chrysanthemum design.

Older people swear by the durability of kimonos, as they always will be in style.

"Western clothes are often worn once and you get bored with it. But with kimonos, you and even your grandchildren and even your great-grandchildren can still wear them. So I think they’re better," said Keiko Ogura, a kimono retailer in her late 50s who also watched the kimono collection.

Saito is taking part in the Tokyo Collection week, which Japan’s fashion industry has been staging twice a year since 2005 in a bid to dress up Tokyo’s image as a global style capital.

The city is better known for its trendy youth culture and obsession with luxury brands, but homegrown, contemporary designers rarely show outside Japan, unlike in previous decades when Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake reigned in the world’s fashion capitals.

Japan Fashion Week began with many young and trendy designers vying for catwalk space.