About

Hi! Welcome and thank you so much for supporting my small business!

My name is Yuki, I’m originally from Japan and moved to Canada in 2019. Now I am splitting time between Japan and Canada

I’ve always loved traditional Japanese clothing like kimonos, but due to increasing westernization in Japan, they became irrelevant to vast majority of people (especially younger generations) except some very rare occasions. Unfortunately, nowadays over a million kimonos are being thrown away every year.

That’s why I started this shop—to share the beauty of vintage kimonos and make them easy to enjoy as part of everyday life & clothing. I personally handpick every piece from places like Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, and my hometown, Miyagi. My goal is to make them affordable and accessible, so more people can experience a little piece of Japanese culture.

I am also planning to produce some clothing upcycled from Kimono fabrics in a near future :) 

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Haori & Kimono: Unisex

I sell my products as unisex. Even though they're originally made to be gender-specific.

Men’s haori are typically longer than women’s, making them more versatile and suitable for almost anyone. These jackets are usually simple on the outside, with small range of colours and minimal designs. However, the inside of the haori often features beautiful patterns or paintings, called Uramasari. This tradition dates back to the Edo period, when the hidden designs symbolized the value of beauty in secrecy—a philosophy of appreciating elegance without showing off. Though men's haori are simple on the outside, their unique inner patterns have always been highly valued.

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Example of ”Uramasari” on traditionally men's haori.

Today, many men wear women’s haori as well, since they often offer a wider range of colors and designs (this also goes the same with kimono). However, both men and women appreciate Uramasari for its subtle beauty and quiet sophistication.

That’s why I offer my products as unisex. I believe everyone can enjoy the timeless elegance and hidden beauty of this traditional garment, no matter their gender.

 

If you prefer to keep them gender-specific, the easiest way to tell is to look at the sleeves. Women's sleeves are half detached from torso, men are fully attached.

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Women's are half detached                Men's are fully attached 

 

About the material composition in vintage clothing

Antique and vintage kimonos, haori, and obi typically don’t have material composition labels. These labels only became standard with mass-produced clothing. In traditional kimono tailoring, fabrics are chosen and tailored specifically to the wearer, with material details often only noted on the fabric itself. Even today, kimono tailors usually don’t include composition labels on finished garments.

Most kimonos are handmade by specialized sewing professionals. Identifying the exact fabric composition of vintage kimonos can be challenging without laboratory testing. I’ve tested with more accessible and widely used techniques to analyze and determine the material. Based on the production era and fabric quality, I label items I’m confident are silk as "100% silk".

However, rare cases do exist where silk is used for the warp and synthetic fibers for the weft, even in older kimonos. For items I’m uncertain about, I use the label silk (or other materials like cotton, linen or wool) "& more” to indicate mixed materials. While I carefully assess each piece using my experience, I can’t guarantee absolute accuracy in every case.

Thank you for your understanding.