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Design student transforms old kimono into fashion item

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Design student transforms old kimono into fashion item

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Design student transforms old kimono into fashion item

When Yoshina Takenaga discovered that elderly folk in the Tokuji district of Yamaguchi in this southernmost prefecture on the Honshu main island were discarding elegant, but unused, kimono, the design student decided to do something with it.

As a university senior, Takenaga, 23, now in her first year at Yamaguchi Prefectural University's graduate school, had been participating in a project to renovate old-fashioned Japanese houses in the district, known to locals as the "countryside near home."

There, she discovered that the practice of passing on the kimono to the next generation, was quickly becoming a thing of the past.

So she decided to use her expertise and come up with something that would retain the brilliance of the elaborately patterned silk fabric, while introducing a new style that would appeal to people not just in Japan, but overseas.

Her creation was a pair of "hakama (Japanese pleated skirts) pants," which combined kimono, hakama and "monpe" (traditional work pants for women).

Using knowledge acquired in university, Takenaga figured a way to utilize kimono fabric without creating scraps that would go to waste. Drawing on the design of monpe, she used a piece of string to hold the pants at the waist, and added pockets to improve the utility.

Last October she completed a prototype pair of hakama pants with help from a local resident who offered to sew up the clothing. The result was an elegant but comfortable pair of pants.

The new garment quickly caught the attention of residents, and the local tourism office has even offered to help promote Takenaga's invention.

via AJW

Published on Monday, 30 January 2012