Madonna rocked two bespoke Jean Paul Gaultier kimono ensembles in the Kyoto-inspired Nothing Really Matters music video. The red leather platform shoes were also custom made for her by Sky Shoes. The opening scene sandals were designed by Michelle Mason. The kimonos Madonna wore in the music video were created in late 1998 at Jean Paul Gaultier’s atelier in Paris when the music video was in pre-production. The look in the opening scene consisted of a black silk and PVC kimono dress with matching obi. The second kimono was made from a combination of scarlet cropped kimono, matching shorts and PVC obi, which created a remarkable interpretation of the classical kimono. The now-iconic red kimono was showcased at the Kyoto To Catwalk exhibition within the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England in 2020.
The main theme of the Nothing Really Matters video is overcoming selfishness and material cravings, represented by the clear plastic bag of water Madonna is cradling at the beginning of the video and attaining self-effacingness. The music video was inspired by Arthur Golden’s 1997 novel Memoirs of a Geisha. In the video, Madonna channels Hatsumomo, the main antagonist from the book. Madonna stated on ET that, “the whole idea of a geisha is a straight metaphor for being an entertainer because, on one hand you’re privileged to be a geisha, but on the other hand you’re a prisoner […]” Madonna choreographed her own moves in the video. There are multiple scenes in the video of Swedes of Asian heritage performing butoh dance moves. Their scenes were filmed separately in the hall of decommissioned R1 nuclear reactor below the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Nothing Really Matters was directed by Johan Renck and Madonna’s scenes were shot at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, New York on 9 and 10 January 1999.
Styling: Arianne Phillips
Hair: Luigi Murenu
Make-up: Laura Mercier
Madonna Outfits 