JAPAN’S LUXURY KIMONO SECTOR HAS SHRINK IN SIZE, BUT CORE MARKET IS DEVOTED
August 1st, 2012
BY ROB GILHOOLY, IN TOKYO
Junsaku Koshihara kneels on the tatami mat floor and shows off some of the colourful textiles handcrafted at his family's atelier in Ome City, north-western Tokyo. Hand-dyed using special hake brushes on hand-woven silk, one shows mandarin ducks sitting on a wind-swept pond sprinkled with cherry blossoms; in another, a red wooden bridge zig-zags across a lake of purple and white lilies.
The intricate and exquisite designs are just two of the premium-quality fabrics for use in luxury kimono, the most exclusive of which can take up to six ...
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