再生
A place for Japanese fabrics to be reborn.
私たち
Preserving cloth and culture.
We love to travel, and the first time we went to Japan we felt at home. I have always been drawn to arts, crafts, and textiles; we both love the culture, the food, and the quiet care found in the handmade things. Over time, we began coming home with Japanese craft supplies, vintage cloth, and handmade pieces we could not bear to leave.
We became aware of a textile crisis. Old kimonos and obis are being discarded and burned. We began talking to people who were working to preserve these fabrics through upcycling. We bought a purse and when we said we wished we could do more we were invited to help and went home with fabric and Kyoto Kura was born. We have made a commitment to the fabrics we bring home and to give them a second life.
Upcycling is a slow process. We never rush anything. There are no deadlines. We only make when we are inspired. Period. We've found that this mission and process brings us closer together and this shop is really a labor of love in every way.
京都蔵
What's in a name?
When we first began we only purchased things in Kyoto (save a couple of things from nearby Osaka and Nara) and Kyoto remains our main hub. We stay a bit away from the tourist spot and that spot has become a second home for us. Kura is the Japanese word for a storehouse, a place of safekeeping, and we liked the alliteration of the phrase so it stuck.
Kura is the Japanese word for a storehouse, a place of safekeeping, and we liked the alliteration of the phrase so it stuck.
再生
Why upcycling matters.
Japan’s kimono culture is not disappearing, but it is changing. Formal wear is worn less often. Some older pieces are damaged by age, storage, or use. Exceptional silks, including Nishijin brocade, gold-ground obi, and hand-dyed komon, are discarded and burned. But we know it doesn't have to be that way.
An item made from kimono or obi silk is one way to keep the textile alive: seen, touched, used, and loved in daily life. Upcycling honors the cloth and the work that went into it's creation.
Silk carries traces of time. A softened fold, a faint mark, or a shift in the weave can become part of its beauty. Many kimonos and obis are made through slow, skilled processes, and we honor that patience of creation with our actions.
仕入れ
Finding our fabrics
We do not order fabric by the yard. We find vintage kimonos and obis at temple markets, one piece at a time.
Our fabrics come from temple markets, Toji Temple market in Kyoto, Ōsu Kannon in Nagoya, and family-owned shops that specialize in kimonos set for recycling. Each piece is chosen for the quality of the silk, the meaning of the motif, the unique weave or dye, and the belief that we can make something respectable from it.
When we can learn where a textile came from, who it was made for, or how long it has been kept, and why it was made that history matters to us. Japanese patterns carry often carry deep significance and that meaning helps us to make choices about what to get and what to make. For instance, a crane and a turtle paired together are a symbol of enduring happiness, perfect for a piece to carry at a wedding.
The markets — finding the right fabric
一点もの
Each item is unique.
The fabric we buy is limited by the cut, the pattern and the quantity. We rarely even have the ability to make more than one of the same item, even if we wanted to. But we don't. Making the same thing is boring and we don't think that's really the best course.
Therefore, when one bag has gone to its new home, there can never be another exactly like it.
