Ladies in their 20s and 30s enjoy looking elegant and beautiful as they dress up and go out with their friends. Elegant clothing and accessories are important regardless of whether they are going to work, visiting their friends, attending wedding events, or even attending graduation ceremonies. Unique bags and belts are important parts of their wardrobes that help them look appealing to those who interact with them.
Since many designers produce handbags and belts, there’s a wide variety for ladies to choose from when they want to look elegant and lovely.
Women, especially those in their 20s and 30s, love handbags – they carry these bags wherever they go. They consider the bags functional parts of their day-to-day activities like going to the mall, grocery store, and even supermarkets. Beyond that, a handbag can speak volumes about the woman who carries it, ranging from her income, status, and taste in fashion.
A beautiful handbag can boost your social esteem while you interact with people. Regardless of whether you carry a designer handbag around or not, a handbag completes your outfit and gives you confidence as you walk around taking care of your day-to-day activities. While big bags can be useful when you have lots of luggage to ferry from one place to another, petite bags can look and feel more stylish.
Surprisingly enough, although handbags may be expensive, women focus more on value for money while looking for a handbag. This is because they know the quality of what they are looking for. They often buy handbags for long-term use, and thus they will willingly buy a bag at the set price if they believe that they will get value and longevity out of it.
On the other hand, women also love belts. Belts top off women’s outfits and make them look fashionable in their dressing. Belts also complete the women’s style and add an exceptional touch to their look. Like handbags, women invest in belts that they believe will be an appropriate and unique accessory for different events, taking into consideration both color and style.
Thankfully, ladies’ belts come in different colors, textures, and stunning patterns. With a simple belt, a lady can add flair to an otherwise plain outfit
Situated in Kanazawa City in Ishikawa, Honshu Island, Rapyuta Sumie is unveiling a line of unique and beautiful kimono obi bags and belts designed to revive the kimono industry in Japan.
The history of the kimono in Japan
The people of Japan originally wore the kimono around the Kofun and Heian Periods, around 300 AD to 1185. It was first introduced as an undergarment from China. The original design was actually influenced by the Chinese Han clothing. During this period, the Chinese had a great influence on Japanese culture in general.
At around 1615-1868, during the Edo period, Japan was rapidly growing its economy, making kimonos very popular. To this date, the kimono is still a symbol of Japanese culture and a symbol of status in Japan due to its high price.
It would be easy to say that kimono is a traditional ceremonial fashion style in Japan. The beauty of the kimono is that it is handwoven and decorated. A kimono garment is decorated in different patterns and colors that match the occasion and ceremony being attended.
The modernization and westernization of the kimono started in 1868-1912, the Meiji Period. The modern version includes a layer of kimono placed over the undergarment, Nagajuban, with an obi belt holding them in place. The kimono has evolved into colorful textile designs that are a brilliant expression of Japanese culture.
In these modern times, the kimono is supplemented with other clothing like ankle-high white socks and sandals known as zori. Finally, in the 19th century, kimonos became very popular in Japan until the 1950s.
The purpose of this project
Bags and belts are simple products that we get to use every day, but the designs from Rapyuta Sumie are crafted to give new life to a woman’s closet, with bags and belts that stand out.
Most kimono obi pieces are worn just a handful of times, to events such as a 20th birthday celebration or a graduation ceremony. To make matters worse, COVID has led to the cancellation of many events to which people would normally wear kimonos.
As we lose opportunities to wear the kimono, the industry becomes smaller and smaller. In fact, the kimono industry was worth 1.8 trillion JPY in 1980s but in 2020 the industry value has dropped to 270 billion JPY. Although kimono craftsmen spend lots of time designing and producing kimono obi products, they end up spending most of their lifetime in our closets. By upcycling the kimono into bags and belts, we’ve turned them into versatile statement pieces for daily use.
The purpose of this project is to repurpose these products and reintroduce them into people’s wardrobes as everyday accessories.
The traditional kimono is a handmade garment worn by Japanese women. Unlike other products that easily be duplicated exactly, the kimono obi bags and belts from Rapyuta Sumie are long-lasting and do not have exact replicas. Their unique design helps them to stand out from other brands that produce bags and belts.
Kimonos are specifically worn during occasions like weddings. This is because of their astonishing and unique appearance that makes women look attractive. Some kimono bags are made from stained and damaged kimono products. This is done to preserve the beauty of the kimono products.
Moreover, kimonos are usually silked with heavy and thick swift silk fabrics. These silk fabrics make them both eye catching and easy to use and wash. The kimono patterns are also made from cloths that are single bolts. The cloths are cut into several sections then designed, sketched, and starched.
The fabrics are then dried, which is followed by steaming, rinsing, coloring, and – finally – another round of steaming and rinsing. After that, the fabric is steam-stretched, gold leaf ceiling and embroidery are done to complete the fabric. The pieces are then sewed from different angles to produce the bags and belts.
These bags are not only good for attending special events, but they are also good for use while attending to day-to-day activities. Additionally, the belts are perfect for wearing different types of clothes with different colors, giving the women a unique style to explore.
Effects of modern times on the kimono industry
Modern times have changed the kimono industry from what it was in the 1900s. Different technological and western world factors have left the kimono industry on its deathbed. These factors include rapid westernization, technological advancement, availability of more affordable fashions, etc. The outbreak of COVID-19 also led to the calling off of different events and occasions where people would have kimono products, making the industry more prone to falling.
Events such as the fireworks exhibit and summer festivals were canceled due to COVID-19, and this was a hard hit on the kimono industry in Japan. The COVID-19 outbreak also led to the closure of many shops and boutiques that were selling kimono Products both in Japan and the rest of the world. When COVID hit, all the people who worked in different stages of making kimono products had to leave or quit working because no new orders were coming in.
Everyone hoped that the pandemic would end, leaving businesses to resume. However, for the kimono industry, the impact will be lasting despite the gradual reopening of global economies. Further, the negative impact left by the pandemic will take a lot of time to recover from.
It will also take some time for the kimono businesses to get back on their feet. With this project, the team at Rapyuta Sumie aims to reduce the effects of the pandemic. They plan to do this by redesigning the kimono obi products into versatile products for everyone, hence increasing the sales.
The state of the kimono industry in Japan
As early as the 1980s, the kimono industry was worth a whopping 1.8 trillion Japanese yen, whereas in 2020 it had dropped to 270 billion Japanese yen. This drop in the worth of the kimono industry was due to several different factors affecting the industry.
Due to the high production costs of kimono products, you need a significant amount of money to set up a kimono store or boutique. In these hard times, acquiring a lot of money to start such a store can be a real struggle. This explains the resurgence in the worth of the kimono industry.
Additionally, many clients who love kimono claim they are too complicated to wear and wash at home. With the products from Rapyuta Sumie, this is not the case anymore, because this project seeks to make kimono obi products that are easily wearable and affordable such as belts.
A belt or a bag is something that everyone grows up using. Making affordable and easy-to-use kimonos can revive the kimono industry in a significant way since these products will appeal to everyone, even young customers.
For more information about these kimono obi products, check out their Instagram page.
