Tokyo Weekender July 2016

Unfortunately, I haven’t inherited any from
my own mother, but every garment I wear is
a story, and I’m just another chapter in that
garment’s story. I’m the last chapter – or
almost, at least. When I can’t wear a kimono
anymore, I cut it up to make kimono collars
or recycle it into other things. Each time it
changes context, another story is added to
the life of the kimono.”
Cliffe’s view of kimono as a fashion item
to enjoy and play with may seem obvious
now, but it wasn’t always an easily accessible
culture. The Internet has played a large
role in the spread of interest in kimono, and
in turn, bending its rules. Cliffe explains:
“Before the Internet, kimono knowledge was
trapped within the industry, especially with
kimono dressing schools. The schools were
keeping it a closely guarded secret, but they
didn’t realize that raising the bar to kimono
wearing so high was actually strangling
the whole industry. It was only because
the information started to leak out that the
kimono revival could happen.”
The kimono revival found its way
through a worldwide boom in Asian culture
in the early Nineties. Interest for all things
Japanese increased at home, whether it was
keeping goldfish instead of tropical fish, or
an indoor bonsai garden. Along with that,
interest in yukata grew, and from yukata to
kimono. As with most fashion movements,
young women led the way, but with one
difference: the knowledge of how to wear kimono
was held by older women. Previously,
mothers would have taught their daughters
REVISING HOW
PEOPLE FRAME
THE KIMONO IS
CRITICAL FOR
IT TO REMAIN A
FASHION ITEM IN
THE FUTURE
how to wear kimono – now it’s older women
teaching younger women who are their
friends. “It’s a return to a more natural
way of sharing the knowledge,” says Cliffe.
Thanks to the Internet, the interest
in kimono has also grown overseas, with
people meeting up to wear the garment
and discuss its care, how to accessorize
it, and more. Cliffe met with one of the
groups, Kimono de Jack, in Birmingham.
“When I went to interview them, I was
petrified at first. I didn’t know what I
would be dealing with. But everyone
wore their kimono beautifully and had
even come up with new ways of tying obi
knots, which is fascinating. That’s how
far the information has leapt out. And
this is without ever having stepped foot in
Japan!”
28 | JULY 2017 | TOKYO WEEKENDER