“Reiwa fuku,” kimono of this era and “obi bag”

What is “Reiwa fuku,” kimono of this era？

Comparing with Occidental dress, kimono is sustainable because its simple pattern can fit for everybody and be pass from generation to generation.
However, because our lifestyle here has been changed so much in these fifty years–we became much busier and we got used to wear universally casual clothes such as jeans, we started to feel distance for wearing kimono. It became more and more formal and disappear from the daily life.
Because I love kimono since I was kids, I have been waiting for appearance of some kimono or new kimono, which is enough cool, casual, movable, maintenance free, and fun for a long time in vain. So at last, I tried to make my suggestion though I am an amateur at all.
That’s the “Reiwa fuku”, the new style kimono of this era, I named combining “Reiwa,” the name of Japanese era right now and “wafuku,” Japanese clothes/kimono (opposition of “yofuku,” occidental dress). By the way, “wa” means Japanese but peace or harmony as well.

Cf:If you are interested in the History of Japanese women’s clothes, you can see it.
This describes the history from 3 to 19 centuries.

Though kimono is supposed as formal clothing now, until edo era, 150 years ago, everybody wore kimono for all occasions even for working in the rice field in Japan. Its form can be easily modified with a cord—if someone tied it up at the waist, they can put the bottom/hem in it and can make the length shorter, then, they can move actively for working or for traveling.
Speaking of sleeves, using a tied cord, they can be tucked up and be ready for working.
Kimono has such a potential, which can be both elegant and active.
I wanted to make new style of kimono which can take its potential out in fun and modern way.

We, the Japanese, are living in the time about 150 years after Occidental dress came and about 50 years after jeans came, when kimono for casual occasion is almost disappear.
Moreover, we are living in the time of readymade and fast fashion, so even I as a 55-year-old woman had never made any dresses by myself until I met beautiful textile of Naomi Ito’s ATELIER to nani IRO, for which my friend photographer, Shinko Tsujimoto took photo for their advertisement, when I was 50-year-old.

*my first dress which I made by myself were like these:

Their fabrics are so attractive to make me making dresses, I decided to choose their four different color combination of double gauze and linen without any doubt to make “Reiwa fuku.” I chose them based on the image of the character of my each daughter.
Below is the point of the characters of “Reiwa fuku“:

• Two-piece style: easy to wear. can be worn as a jacket and a skirt even on the Occidental dress.
• reversible: free combination of 4 times more than usual：front*front、front*back、back*front、back*back The atmosphere can be changed how to show the back to front as well.
• collars as additional parts made by two different materials：can be worn even without collar as well. It creates possibilities two times more than the possibilities above as a two-pieces.

Please see the slide-show below and feel the possibilities of “Reiwa fuku” though I am sorry to show myself… Anyway, it may good as an example to show the flexibilities and the potential of “Reiwa fuku.“

Somebody may think that it’s better to use the material for kimono or used kimono to make, but now there are a lot of up-cycling from kimono to Occidental dresses (because our modern lifestyle is more fit for that), I guess it’s more interesting and fun to use material for Occidental dresses or even used dresses to make kimono of this era, so I chose these materials. I used double gauze and linen for daily use.
I think the more it becomes expensive the more people don’t/can’t wear, so I intended to chose the materials which are not expensive.

“Obi bag”

Together with “Reiwa fuku,” I created the “obi (the belt part of kimono) bag.” As I decided to make “Reiwa fuku” as two-piece, I decided to make obi as two-part type. To tie obi is the most difficult part for wearing kimono for people who don’t wear kimono usually.
Whenever I wear kimono in my daily life from 1970’s to the 21st centuries, I feel the tie part which comes on my back as an obstacle when I sit on a chair or drive a car.
So, when I think about obi for Reiwa fuku, which becomes two-part type, I remembered
that during the tea ceremony, we keep small bag for it in the tie part of the belt if the shape of the tie is called “taiko (drum).” By that I got the idea to make the taiko part as a bag. Then, I thought it must be nice if the bag can be a backpack while it’s removed from the belt.

The tie part should be removable as a bag, and can be a backpack. The images is: wearing the “Reiwa fuku” with “obi bag” in the backpack style with leggings, people can put the bottom/hem in the upper edge of obi, and can run and go!! For that purpose, I thought it’s more suitable to use plastic/metal buckle with cotton flat braid like some heavy duty staff instead of obi sash and cord made by silk, which are usually used for combine the belt part and the tie part of obi. Then, this is the “obi bag #1″.

Same as “Reiwa fuku“, I inteded to make it in cheaper price and easier way. Then I chose the cotton cloth of Finish brand, kippis, which is already cut and sell in the big handcraft chain store. Their products is less expensive than other Finish brand but they have simple, lovely and colorful designs based on nature, which has similarity with Japanese sense of beauty, wabi and sabi. I used two pieces of 50 cm cut clothes for each obi bag.

These photos above are how is the obi bag#1 when I put. It worked but by this design, it was not easy to take the back part on and off. Then I realized the cord, which comes in the middle of the belt part to tie the bag and the belt together is important. I noticed that if the code can be used for the shoulder strap for backpack as well, it must be nicer. So I made “the obi bag#2″ as below making the bag part without any patterns or drafts cut by freehand being inspired by its illustration.

Traditionally for the young women, we use the way of tying obi in cute, flowery or gorgeous way. So I followed it when I made obi bags for my daughters. I wanted to add taste of origami and Oriental knot for both of them are our tradition to remember and inherit from generation to generation.
These are the obi bag#4,#5, and #6.: #4 has a peony, #5 has a dahlia, and #has a bear (though it looks like a dog…) on the top.

And more…

Originally, I planned to make obi only with obi bags, but I made very simple two-part type obi without bag, too. I made them by two pieces of 50cm cut cloth of canvas fabric with plain colors. For their tie part (taiko style), I sewed only few stitches on the two corners on the bottom.
In order to paint or draw picture on the material, I bought some metallic colors of kura color , the special paint for the fabric made in Kyoto, Japan.
I used them to make silver obi , to draw snowflakes on white fabric and to draw characters on unbleached one.
I plan to use the paint when I do the “white clothing project”: making “Reiwa fuku” with white/ blue denim and draw pictures on them as I like. It must be fun.

Talking of photos of “Reiwa fuku” again

Then, I made photo gallery of “Reiwa fuku” below.
As I had already told before the slide show, first, I chose the materials for my each daughter, but one for whom I chose yellow rejected to wear, so I wore it for myself.
I didn’t want to be taken photos with young guys, but I did it to show the potential and the flexibility of “Reiwa fuku” and “obi bag.”

Then, talking about how we wore, it may too loose because I was busy until just before the photo shooting for making obi of plain colors and obi sash made from Kippis cloths. I didn’t have enough time to check how we wore…

The audio file, I put on the beginning and below is the music which sounded in my brain since the photo taking day had booked. I tried to embody it. However, by the application I use now I cannot express exactly what I hear but anyway….
I’m glad if you play it while you see the photos.

Concerning about more variation to wear

I haven’t been able to show, concerning about how to wear the “Reiwa fuku,” you can combine them with Occidental clothes. using the upper as a jacket and the bottom as a wrap skirt. Comparing with the usual kimono, the bottom of the upper below obi can be seen longer, but I kept this length for I guess it’s better for wearing as a jacket.
Anyway, using a piece of string or ribbon under obi, you can fix the length as you want.
For the pink and gray ones, I put a piece of string on the bottom of the upper just like a parka to add sporty atmosphere and be able to draw.

When I checked the photo afterward, I noticed one of the daughter put the bottom as right side is over the left though in case of kimono the left side should be over the right. Thinking of Asian wrap skirt, it happens, so I guess it’s OK still…

After a long consideration, I decided to use independent waist cord to fix because that is the best way for adjusting the length. By that, can be worn even as a miniskirt.

What I noticed strongly after this trial

I want to say what I noticed strongly after this trial now.
There have already been a lot of two-piece style kimono and two-part type obi, but most of them are designed to be proper kimono or obi, in other words, they are designed to be looked like one piece or tied and they shouldn’t be revealed as they are two-piece style or two-part type in reality.

But now I think that some is OK to be designed like that, but some of them should be designed uniquely as two-piece style kimono or two-part type obi. Then the world of contemporary kimono becomes more colorful, fun and attractive.

Concerning about obi, if it’s two-part style, tie part is not absolutely necessary.
If the kimono is already fixed by the cord, even the belt part of the obi is not existent to fix kimono but to decorate or even to hide the cord.

This time, remembering the function to put a small bag in the taiko part of obi, I regarded the tie part as the bag and created the obi bag. But there should be more ideas such as:
obi like a big bangle made by some shape memory material or obi with huge feather decoration…

I know sometimes foreigners understand advantage of Japanese culture better.
And concerning about bags, European has more history for that.
So I dream that if the luxury brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton make their obi bags, it must be so nice!! They will fit for plain color kimono so well and will be handed down from generation to generation.
If this kind of things come true, the world of kimono will be activated and fun!!

Conclusion

After the photo taking I tried and succeeded to put “Reiwa fuku” and its belt part in the obi bag#2.

Though it is written only in Japanese, if you are interested in process please see it.

Among the link above, I picked up only the process about “obi bag” and “Reiwa fuku.”
I am sorry they are only in Japanese, but you may be able to see how I made from the photos inside.

I am glad if this contents can help people to create “Reiwa fuku” of their own.
I hope if somebody post their own creation with #reiwafuku or “obi bag ” and there appears some groups about it.

P.S.

Though my creations are very rough, I think I know what is proper as well.
The photos below are the photos from my first daughter’s becoming of the ages day.
Two kimonos with longer sleeves were what I wore when I was young. One of them is what I wore on my becoming of the ages day. The other two with shorter sleeves were inherited from my aunt. Like this, kimonos are inherited from generation to generation.

The photo below are the photos from the elder daughters’ becoming of the ages. Using same obi, the master of kimono dressing (same person) arranged the tie different way for each time.

I know it’s very important to inherit these beautiful tradition, but for that, I guess, it ‘s also important to enjoy the essence of it in our daily life with fun and modern way.

In addition.
Speaking of the traditional rules of how to choose proper kimono, they are so sensitive such as:
If there are pattern of cherry blossom, it shouldn’t wear after the flower has gone but just before it comes.
If kimono has pattern of autumnal flowers such as chrysanthemum, it can be wear only in fall.
In order to wear both in spring and autumn, kimono has for example both cherry blossom and maple on it etc.
We, the Japanese, traditionally had such a delicate sensibility for nature or natural environment even for the selection of clothes in daily life.
In order to keep this sensibility, we have to have room in any meaning, which has been loosen more and more.
Remembering our sensibility for nature, we may create more haiku or tanka, which can be born only when we listen to the nature carefully..
If we look back or become re-interested in the world of kimono through “Reiwa fuku,” we may notice that we are living in the nature and we should keep them otherwise we cannot inherit the meaning of the rules how to choose patterns we have on kimono.

My suggestion is like this, because I am Japanese of this era.

I am looking forward to seeing “Reiwa-fuku” of yours.

May world become full of different colors.