Bringing back Vintage Japanese Kimonos to the Modern World

The story began in an unexpected place, India.

I have been visiting India since my mid-20s and I was astonished by the cultural richness of the country that still deeply resides in people’s daily life. I was especially fascinated by those Indian women still wearing sarees and traditional dresses as their daily clothing; they looked sophisticated, proud and beautiful which even made me jealous as a fellow female. Unlike those women I was wearing T-shirts and jeans, completely westernized, and I couldn’t help feeling so boring in them! They made me realized the beauty of embracing one’s own tradition and culture and this experience re-opened my eyes for the cultural treasure of my own country; Japanese Kimono.

Kimonos once were everyday clothing for Japanese women and it used to be a customary for a mother to present a set of kimonos to her daughter as a wedding gift. However, western clothes have taken over kimonos in Japan, and today Japanese women rarely wear them in everyday life. Over the course of many decades, they came to almost be forgotten in their closets.

TSUBAKI brings back these once-forgotten kimonos to the modern world. We create modern, universal and wearable fashion items with the exquisite fabrics taken from vintage Japanese kimonos while retaining the grace and delicacy of the garment that it once was part of.

We believe that tradition is wearable and we hope our products will add a tint of divinity and craftsmanship to the wardrobes of people who see the beauty in special pieces we create.

Mihiro Aoki
TSUBAKI VINTAGE

--- Our Values & Visions ---

❂ Fashion which embodies tradition and modernity
We take a modern approach to traditional Japanese kimonos while retaining the grace and delicacy of the original dresses. By incorporating modern creativity into traditional kimonos, we create universal fashion items which can be enjoyed by people around the world.

❂ Respect for hand-skilled women in our community
We believe that handwork is a divine work and that it deserves to be valued equally to any intellectual work in our modern society. Our future goal is to create a working opportunity in local communities for women from the generation of our mother and grandmother with great hand-crafting skills, where they can turn these skills into art and business.

❂ Respect for the environment
We are proud that all of our products are made with vintage and upcycled materials although there is still a lot to be improved before we can call ourselves as a truly earth-conscious brand. We will continuously strive to improve all aspects of our business to minimize the impact on our environment. Read More