The obis last styling…before they are turned into new bags!

I started Mikan with the desire to give old fabrics a new life, a new chance to appreciate their beauty again, and I always love finding unique pieces to repurpose. But, I have to say, sometimes it is hard to take a pair of scissors and cut into them. Even knowing that they are not being used anymore, it sometimes feels overwhelming, and I wanted to find a way to keep a record of their “previous life”, before I transform them forever.

In homage of their previous life

Most of the obis and kimonos I use for my creations are formal or very formal. They are the most luxurious type and their fabrics are amongst the finest. It may sound absurd but these are the type of garments you will find he most in kimono thrift stores. And it makes sense when you think about it. Even though each piece would have cost thousands of dollars when they were new, there are not enough occasions to wear such gorgeous pieces, and if you wanted to wear them in your daily life , imagine what it would look like going to the supermarket in an evening dress. Of course no one tells you it is impossible, but it might not be the best experience. Also, as opposed to an evening gown that you might be able to put on by yourself, a formal kimono outfit requires know-how to dress up. Learning kitsuke, the way of wearing kimono, is like learning a new language. I can tell you I started to learn the way of wearing kimono in the last few years, but if I don’t practice regularly, I automatically forget. I forget the vocabulary, the gestures, the order in which things are put on… Nowadays it is very common to ask a professional to come and dress you up for an event, whether you have your own set of clothes or one that you can rent for the day. A lot of people tend to rent, so they don’t need to keep these delicate materials at home. This is another reason why we can find them in the thrift stores, they require a lot of care to stay in good condition, which can be a lot for some people who will only wear them afew times in their lives. It also happens that they are damaged in some parts, which can show when they are worn in their traditional way, but won’t be noticeable once they are transformed.

When I create a bag, I think of something functional and useful that we can carry all year-round, for a special day as well as every other days. It is important to me to keep a memory of their previous life and remember what they meant for their owners.

A new challenge for Mikan

It has been on my mind for so long but it was difficult to make time for practicing kitsuke and create decent looks to photograph. So, last Thursday, I started an exciting collaboration with my dear friend Megumi, a professional kimono stylist based in Kyoto. Together we dressed and documented 3 complete outfits. I chose the pieces I wanted to combine among my collection of kimonos, obis and accessories. Styling a kimono outfit is a lot of fun and there are so many ways of combining all the elements. For example how to combine the types of fabrics (textured) , motifs, if you want to create a contrast in the juxtaposition of layers, to have one of the element standing out, or else if you prefer something harmonious in which all the elements blend in delicately… I took some freedom to make it look as I wished, and I had Megumi’s professional eyes and hands by my side, to make sure that nothing looked strange, always keeping in mind that I wouldn’t want to offend anyone who would have worn these pieces in the past. In other words, it wasn’t so much about getting over-creative with the style, but more about playing with the different garments I own to find harmonious outfits while respecting the garments for their first purposes.

From now on, we are aiming to document every Obi that I will be adding to the catalogue and I will be sharing detailed stories about each outfit one by one in the future newsletter. It will take some time as we are both very busy but we decided to try and do the same every month, until I can document all my favorite pieces. The hope is to keep creating 3 outfits one day a month, so we are engaged in this adventure for at least until next year!

I will share stories and details of each outfit one by one in the future newsletters.

I hope you will enjoy!