Sustainability

About Vintage Kimono & Haori

Once upon a time, a Japanese girls got the only one KIMONO from her parent.That was the only one in the world, tailored just for her from roll of cloth.

She came to be a lady , she fall in love, got married, and made a great memories with her KIMONO.

Her KIMONO was re-tailored again and again to be with her long timebut she got older and she had no opportunity to wear KIMONO

Her KIMONO was supposed to be disposed of but a girl lived in Pari like it very much.

Across the sea, grandma’s KIMONO go to next stage of life with Parisian girl.

Story by KUDEN

Special thanks!

Illustration by

Edith SILVA

KUDEN think it’s important too to keep and use already we have, not only produce new one.

Now in Japan we have extensive stock of KIMONO, it’s too extensive to lose the balance between demand and supply.

Why does Japan has such a problem ?In the late 1970, Japanese wore foreign style clothes and this style were getting generally rapidly.

This made decrease the demand of KIMONO. The KIMONO business world developed the high value-added products like HAREGI, only wear in special day like wedding and ceremony, because they had to recover losses of KIMONO sales.

So in Japan, casual KIMONO has disappeared in the town and the just number of formal KIMONO, HAREGI, increased.

This also connects to make a denial of KIMONO has seasonal beauty and has enjoy to select to fit in with season, environment, weather, feelings in their days.

KIMONO business market had declined for several decades, this long time fall made KIMONO stock equivalent to 3 or 4 trillion yen because of surplus goods bankrupted company had. Also so many KIMONO in closet and they are not used any more.

After the war, some says 45 trillion yen worth of pure silk KIMONO were sold. Especially it seems that Japanese don’t trash pure silk KIMONO and wear them cleanly and keep in their closet.

Gather from these Japanese character and history, we could assume that 90% of KIMONO are kept in closet.