My Passion Project
Teaser alert!
I've been collecting vintage kimonos for the last year and it has been a secret project coming together slowly but with much intention.
I met a customer last year who overheard my desire to find vintage kimonos and she graciously offered to share her collection with me! She brought in a handful for me to choose from. And once I laid my eyes on them, I was mesmerized.
Over the next year, I discovered a few more kimonos at vintage shows on Oahu and I knew it was time to start our project.
I have been in search of a tailor who could see my vision of modernizing the kimono so they didn't have to sit tucked away in closets. We wanted to transform them into a design that can be worn today. I will admit I was afraid to cut into the kimonos!
Enter Roxanne! Since we opened, I have been asking customers who they thought was the best tailor in Kailua. And Roxanne's name came up over and over. Word of mouth is how we find some of the best hidden gems. I started asking our team if anyone knew her and as luck would have it...I got an introduction from one of our very own MERMAIDS in the boutique. Thanks Tracy!
Fast forward to now. We have had a "before + after" photoshoot with our first completed kimono! We will be waiting for all of them to be finished before we introduce the entire collection to you! But it has been hard waiting!
Some of you have been in the boutique while we have been trying them on and pinning them for their updates. We even had another wonderful customer offer to pick up obis from Japan for these kimonos. However, we have decided to keep them draped open instead. We love that our customers are just as passionate about our projects as we are!
Today we decided to let the cat out of the bag! Here just a few before shots of the pieces we intend to update.
Recently I have been reflecting on my Japanese roots and I have been embracing that wholeheartedly. We are hoping to have the full collection ready for viewing by early May! Stay tuned!
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