Designer’s Voice #1

-Why you design Samurai Mode Series? 

First inspiration for Samurai Mode series is from my mother. My mother was passed away and when I sorted my mother ’s personal effects I found her previous kimono and also my Haori-bakama that I wore at child ceremony called “shichigosan”. My family was not rich but my mother handled and wore very carefully her kimono. I remembered that memory when I saw hers. I put her in coffin with her favorite kimono. She love her kimono. Such her behavior may makes me like kimono and think I want to wear but it needs a technique called “kitsuke”, how to wear kimono” and kitsuke is difficult for me, almost modern Japanese too, so I don’t have chance to wear kimono. I think that is really unfortunate.

-What do you think why kimono is disappear in daily life

Traditional kimono is for daily use in those old days and they developed as daily wear by many ingenuity, like dress down and so on. But in these days, western clothes is standard daily wear instead of kimono and kimono is known as special wear for ceremony. Formality is getting higher and higher, price is also getting more expensive, $1000 ~ $10000. If we want to wear, we need to go to school for kitsuke or ask to dress at beauty salon. The number of people who can wear kimono by themselves is decrease and kimono is disappeared in our daily life. Kimono is known as Japanese typical wear but young people is not familiar with kimono. “Shichigosan”, ceremony when child is 3, 5, 7 year old, coming of age ceremony…. we wear kimono just for Memorial Day like these one. Someone is just one time in their life to wear or even not. This, is how kimono stands at the moment in Japan. I’ve thought that’s waste.

-What is the reason I start apparel brand?

I closed my design company before because I get sick from overwork. I decide I make the place to work with my son, now lives apart and has handicap and start this company. For this my hope, I tried and looked for new business plan. What I can do as designer? Cherish, take a good care of things. I like long life design and begin to think to publish these design by my new business. Then, I found my mother’s kimono. I thought it’s interesting that redefine and reboot kimono inspired by modern life. I feel “I want to wear it.”, that was start of my Samurai Mode series.

-What is particular about your design?

One of the most important things to design, is kitsuke. It’s not good if people can’t wear by themselves and kimono is so. The other important thing is about price. One kimono is over $1000, $10000. It’s difficult for almost all the people to buy and use for daily life. In those situation, also difficult to tell and spread the goodness of kimono and tradition to young people and foreigners. Can design solve this problems? This, is start of my design.

Looking forward to next voice….