Obi

The Japanese have a phrase, mottainai もったいない, conveying a sense of regret over waste, or to state that one does not deserve something because it is too good.  Such a phrase describes the plight of Japan’s beautiful kimono and obi. The interest in wearing kimono fades in modern Japan, so the obi follows the same fate. They are stored in the dark drawers of old wooden tansu, waiting to be handed down to a daughter or granddaughter, but sadly for some, that day may never come.


It’s this sense of mottainai that inspired us to explore ways to breathe new life into these wearable works of art. They took months to create and now they are hidden from the world. They deserve to be seen and appreciated.