The New Year has begun, and that means a lot of families in Japan have done some cleaning at home. Some might be digging out old kimono they never wear anymore and wondering what to do with them. There’s always the option to refashion them into modern garb or stylish hats, but if you’re no good at sewing or are not interested in wearing them, there’s another option: have them upcycled it into beautiful art.
Ikasu, a service whose name means “to revive” or “to give second life”, takes the gorgeous woven patterns of kimono and turns them into stylish, elegant wall art that combines the traditional with the modern.
In their latest products, for example, they’ve utilized the texture, shape, and feel of “paulownia dance”, a vibrant pattern of blue flowers. Using wooden frames as borders they’ve given new life to the old kimono fabric, a modern twist to a traditional art form, all while being careful to respect the history and sentiments behind the original garment.
If you’ve got a kimono collecting dust in a closet somewhere, this is a fantastic way to upcycle it and preserve the memories woven into the fabric. The artist behind each piece, Lena Okamoto, will use her experience and extensive knowledge to draw out what’s special about the fabric of your precious, one-of-a-kind kimono. Then she’ll turn it into a completely unique work of art – so that you don’t have to toss a precious heirloom to make room in your closet. And best of all, by using your own kimono, you’ll get a special price on the finished work of art.
You can even make special requests. If, for example, you have multiple kimonos, they can combine them into one work of art, if you desire. If you just want to use a particular part of the kimono, such as the sleeve or sash, that’s perfectly fine too. Whatever you dream up, Ikasu can probably do it.
Of course, if you don’t have any kimono lying around, they still have lots of pre-made kimono art in various colors and styles available for sale on their website, with prices ranging from 17,000 yen to 770,000 yen. And shipping from their online store is available worldwide. Check out their Instagram page for updates and new styles, and to inquire about turning your own kimono into art.
Source, images: PR Times
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2023/12/29/got-an-old-kimono-lying-around-turn-it-into-one-of-a-kind-art-with-upcycle-service-ikasu/
9 Comments
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Gene Hennigh
I didn't buy a kimono when I was in Japan. Can they do a Rolling Stones t-shirt, too?
The kimono in the pictures look great. I really wish I had the art work. Takes me back to when I was there. A very happy time in my life.
Okamoto Lena
Hello, I am ikasu founder, Okamoto Lena. Thank you Japan Today for featuring us ❤︎
Answering the question above, Gene, no we don't do t-shirts because we specialize on antique kimonos.
Thank you for your interest! You can see more of our works on website
https://www.kimono-ikasu.com/collections/frontpage
and on Instagram page, I mostly write about Japanese traditional patterns there.
https://www.instagram.com/ikasu_kimono/
Hope you'll find something that will revive your beautiful memories of Japan there!
Elvis is here
You can sell good condition kimono easily. I'd rather don't that than destroy it.
wallace
Kimonos are also reformed into very attractive Western-style dresses. Fewer people wear kimonos. We have some but my spouse never wears them anymore.
Not sure about the ones in the article.
Elvis is here
That's a shame. My spouse wears them all the time.
Thanks for sharing anyway.
wallace
Kimonos take too long to dress and are restrictive in many ways. The last time my spouse wore a kimono was in 1998 when we were invited to a reception in Nagano attended by the Princess Royal for the Winter Olympics.
Okamoto Lena
Of course we use only the ones that can't be used as clothes anymore - with strains or damages. The ones in good condition definitely have to be worn.
Abbey
I have been doing things like this myself for over 20 years..turning old kimonos into something else ...pictures, bags, jackets and various things ..It is nothing new really.
Fighto!
For some of the older, no longer fashionable ones, you'd be doing very well to get ¥500 for it. One coin!
Re-purposing the fabric into art, purses, bags etc is a great idea - and a fine souvenir.