When I was asked to design some zori, I had to think hard about what kind of design I would like to compliment my kimono. I wanted them to fun and cheerful, but also I wanted them to be stylish and suitable for many occasions. It was also important for me that they would be able to be used with many kinds of kimono: stylish contemporary ones as well as colourful antiques.
One problem with zori is always colour. I think many zori are dull, because people choose grey or beige, so that they will go with everything. However, there is a more interesting approach to colour. If you put in many colours, it also increases the number of the kimono that these zori will go with. So my approach to colour is to use it to add to the outfit, rather than just be plain and not really coordinated with it. I think this is more satisfying. I chose two colour schemes. One is based around light blue and plum, with accents of lime green and orange in it. I think these will go well with colourful antiques, which often have a lot of wine reds, purples and blue in them. They will also go well with contemporary kimono which are often quite plain. The other colour scheme I planned was to go with tsumugi. Tsumugi are usually dyed in natural colours, and so I chose a golden yellow, dark blue and rust as the central colours. I think they will really brighten up kimono made with natural dyes and make the outfits fun.
Recently I have been taking apart old kimono to resew them into kimono that fit me. I took apart a very old meisen kimono. It was on the cover of my first style book. The pattern is polka dots. I realised that polka dots have always been in fashion. They are popular today, but they have been popular in the past too, and never really go out of style. So I designed them with a design of circles and dots. They are modern, but will go with antique kimono too.
I was really excited when Iwasa produced my zori, and also when they appeared in the summer issue of Nanaoh magazine this year. Which pair do you like?
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