My Journey Rescuing Unwanted Kimonos and Creating My Own Art Form

Some fabrics seem to ask for a second life.

That is how my purses, scarves, and jackets began. A folded kimono was sitting on my worktable—damaged, stained, and unloved. But I saw promise in her. I took my time taking her apart, studying the centuries-old construction, and imagining what she might become next. When I was younger, I made leather wallets just for fun, and this felt like a way to return to that hands-on part of my artistic life.

Once I had made it through the somewhat daunting process of taking kimono and Obi apart, gently cleaning the fabric when it needed it, and sorting through color possibilities for each project, I started to notice a pattern. Every kimono had her own texture, design, and history. None of them felt like ordinary supplies to me. They felt like pieces of a story, waiting for someone to carry them forward.

I began with simple purses, using the natural rectangles that make kimono fabric so wonderfully useful, along with plenty of advice from my good friend YouTube. Along the way, I found some generous creators who make purses and share tips for creating bags that even a beginner can tackle. I’ve posted a few links to the creators who helped me get my footing in this new medium here – https://www.youtube.com/@MikoCraft; https://www.youtube.com/@MamaProject; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adOsyo950u0.

As my skills grew and I became more confident in this new medium, I started working more with Obi—the wide brocade belts that finish a kimono look with something truly extraordinary. Obi bring their own set of challenges. They are narrow, usually only about 12 inches wide, and several feet long, which makes them wonderful for purses as long as the design is either narrow or pieced together with care. The brocade itself is gorgeous, but it can be finicky. It frays easily if it is not prepared properly, and many Obi are lined with a heavy silk batting that has to be removed. Trust me, that batting has usually absorbed decades of life, and it is not always pleasant.

I have also branched out to create a few clothing prototyes like the ones I created for my fashion show last year.

Fringed Obi dress, kimono shoulder bag, kumihimo bracelet. beaded necklace.

But the work is almost always worth it. The result is often a narrow bolt of beautiful fabric, just waiting to be reborn.

It is worth remembering that most kimonos and Obi are made from silk that may have been hand-dyed, embroidered, hand-painted, or produced using techniques rarely found today. I am so grateful to have found these beautiful ladies and to have learned how to shape them into new pieces that people can use and enjoy.