In this mail magazine, 【KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO】 will send you topics such as Japanese culture including kimono, fashion, lifestyle, and behind-the-scenes stories of creators every Friday, written by fashion designer Takahiro Sato.I became a fashion designer at the age of 43 to create a place to work with my son who has a disability, and I am challenging myself as a creator and manager to go overseas. I will share with you my personal viewpoints and perspectives that I cannot easily share on my website.
■ 1. Catch up Hello everyone. This is Takahiro Sato, aka Tak, the designer. Unfortunately, it is raining here in Nikko today due to an approaching typhoon. I am writing this essay at TORCH Camping & Coworking Space, a place in Nikko where you can camp and work. -From TORCH's website- ”More than a campground, it is a playground where you can camp, work, and meet friends in the wild. TORCH Camping & Coworking Space is a camp field for enjoying the outdoors in the wild, an event space, a coworking space for working in nature, workshops, training activities, etc., all in one "place", torch. We hope that the combination of Nikko's magnificent nature and the outdoors will create new seeds of fire through encounters between people, local Nikko residents and people from all over the country through play and work.”
I visited TORCH for the first time this past Monday and was so impressed with the concept that I signed up for a monthly coworking membership. Located near the World Heritage Site of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, you can also work while camping in nature, and SUP schools and other activities are held at nearby Lake Chuzenji. The owner, Mr. Fukuda, is also a friendly person, and we hit it off with each other as we have many things in common, such as our previous work with kimono and business experience overseas! We have been talking with KUDEN about collaborating with them on a variety of projects. As I write this manuscript, I am thinking that it would be wonderful if we could have an exhibition of KUDEN clothing, try-on sessions, photo shoots, and an exhibition of the characters of the animators and comics artists who work for charity. TORCH Camping & Coworking Space https://www.torchnikko.jp/
For those of you from overseas, please come visit Nikko, where I live, when you travel to Japan. It is a beautiful place rich in nature and home to the World Heritage Site "Shrines and Temples of Nikko" Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Nikko-zan Rinnoji Temple, and Nikko Futaarasan Shrine, all located within the mountain of Nikko. 103 buildings (9 National Treasures and 94 Important Cultural Properties) and the "ruins (cultural landscape)" surrounding these buildings.
The G7 Ministerial Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Activities, which will soon be held in conjunction with the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023, will be held in Nikko City on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. Nikko City (The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko).
KUDEN's clothes are produced and delivered to you in Nikko, a place rich in nature and history.
I am currently working on several new model designs. The following photo style modeled by Mr.Sakiju is my favorite KUDEN Japanese mode style. We are designing pants with a silhouette similar to that of sarouel pants or mompé so that they can be worn casually, rather than the formal style of Samurai Mode Jacket and Pants II. We have been working on various ideas to make one pair of pants in the same design but in different fabrics, so that one can be worn casually and the other can be washed and used.
We are also working to add a new blue-gray color to the Linen Light Jacket, which has been well received by Kimono gowns.
The sewing of samples of Kimono gowns in new colors and different fabrics, which I mentioned in the last issue, will start soon. I myself am curious to see how it will turn out.
We are also designing a zutabukuro (head bag), or "sakosh" as it is called these days, to go with KUDEN's clothing. We are also designing T-shirts in a more affordable grade of fabric (with pockets).
Also planning to incorporate new motifs into our clothing that will symbolize the KUDEN brand.
We will release them to the readers of our e-mail magazine as they become available. We are also considering giving away samples of our products, such as sakosh, as gifts to our readers.
Thanks again for reading. See you next week.
Tak
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■ 2. News★
from「KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO」★
#Clothes for people who love kimonos #Japanese Modestyle
KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO is a brand created to get people interested in traditional kimono with a modern kimono style that does not need special dressmaking.
End soon! ●[KASANEShirt Pre order event for midsummer Japanese 和 mode]
Pre order event heldPre-ordering session for KASNE shirts available.10% off as exchange for waiting.If you can't find your favorite collar or size in our in-stock items, please take advantage of this offer!
【Order period】 May 10 (JST) - June 4, 23:59 (JST) 【Estimated shipping date】
■ 3.Media & Serials and introduction of mail magazine serial-contents
ーー【Media】ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
An interview with Japan UP Close, which introduces Japanese culture overseas with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. English subtitles are also available. ・Kimono 2.0 – An Interview with Takahiro Sato https://youtu.be/9h8cWFtRijo
ーー【Introduction of mail magazine contents】ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー The following is a list of contents that are being serialized in the Rinlife mail magazine. The contents will be posted weekly on an irregular basis. Subscribers to the mail magazine can read archived articles on the website.
●KUDEN clothes care point by staff Sena Sena, a KUDEN staff member, also handles PR, translation, and voice acting. But within the company, he is known as the ironing master. Sena has always loved ironing and does it before each KUDEN photo shoot, and since KUDEN's clothes have gimmicks and designs not found in other brands, ironing requires a certain knack. This is a care corner by Sena, who receives tips and advice from sewing artisans and concierges.
●KUDEN History「Live like traveling」 After falling into bankruptcy, falling ill, being separated from my son, and hitting rock bottom, I decided that I create a place where I could work with my disabled son in the future. I decided to start KUDEN with this goal in mind. Through encounters with various people, KUDEN has come to be what it is today. People who want to become fashion designers. People who are interested in how to start a new business in this era, people who like KUDEN's clothes and want to know more about KUDEN. For those who want to get hints for overcoming hardships and adversities, and for those who love children with disabilities, we will weave a memoir of KUDEN's history from its origins to the present. →KUDEN History「Live like traveling」Part 03 “Stay in the Philippines: Fatherhood and Management Side”(Latest article in Vol.006)
【The World of Ningyo Joruri Bunraku - a Traditional Japanese Performing Art -】 Ningyo Joruri Bunraku.Ningyo joruri (puppet theater) was created by combining joruri, the art of storytelling in which stories are told and listened to with instruments such as the shamisen and biwa, with the art of puppet performance.
※Ningyo joruri was born from the joruri, a form of oral literature, music, or performing arts that originated in medieval Japan. ※Joruri is a type of music for the theater in which the shamisen is used as an accompaniment and the tayu recites lyrics.
There are three roles that make up Ningyo Joruri Bunraku puppet theater.They are called “Sangyo". "Sangyo" is a trinity of comprehensive entertainment consisting of the tayu, shamisen player, and puppeteer.
Mr. Sakiju Toyotake, KUDEN's Global Ambassador, is the "Tayu" in the above. We introduce him in a three-part series, including a video interview on why he became a tayu.
■ 4.Q&A :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ▽Open to questions for KUDEN and designer Tak▼ We welcome your comments, requests, and questions for KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO and designer Takahiro Sato.We will answer your questions in our weekly mail magazine.We look forward to hearing from you.