I made one casual Kimono design pull- over at this time. The collar and sleeves remain the design of Kimono but other parts are just as same as a usual pull- over. Such a fusion design clothes is a little nostalgic for me. I used to see women wore quite Japanese design clothes in my childhood. It's not Kimono, nor typical western country's design, it's the between. Now I wonder why that was commonly seen.
My mother was born just after WWII. Her generation grows up in the postmodern age. My mother often talks that she used to want a pair of shoes ( sneakers) to go to school. Small kids in her childhood wore Wara- zori/ Waraji (they look like flip- flaps) or Geta. Normally, people wore such traditional handmade shoes and Japan was a looser country then so that, materially too poor and most people had nothing enough. Our daily fashion was rapidly westernised by American cultures after WWII. If Japan won the war, we may have worn Kimono yet.
Before WWII European culture was affordable for only wealthy families or special people in my country. Those people seemed to buy fabulous modern cloths from western countries. One young man of the wealthy business family went to Scotland he brought back to Japan his Scottish fiance and the technique of producing whisky. His fashion was like a British gentleman in the photo. Japanese whisky brand "Yamazaki" is established by him. Yoko Ono who everyone knows is also from one of the highest class families. She was a teenage girl when WWII ends. I saw a photo of her childhood at Japan's TV-show, she and her family wore wealthy modern beautiful fashions. One famous Japanese musician's grandparents were the passengers of the Titanic ship and the survivors, they must have seen luxurious European cultures. Quite only people could buy other countries' fashion. Ordinary people were wearing Kimono before and during the wartime.
In this changing period, embracing a different culture was too new, it's shocking and it would be changing identity especially in the clothing culture, it is unlike trying unfamiliar foods or music. The costume shows very clearly what you are. Young people can easily shift to new anything. But it is not easy to elderlies and people live in the countryside. Hair designs have to be changed to fit for modern costumes as well. That would be a huge change and challenges for those people. However, it was not a reluctant way, rather revolutionary or innovatively. Some others were so willingly changing clothes in the American way. Our nationality is born to be curious about different things, in my personal opinion.
Innovative women created a casual Kimono type fashion. Traditional Kimono fashion has at least 3 unfit points to our general life. First of all, functionality was the most needed. You can not run, unable to ride a bicycle when wearing it. The secondary considering sustainability was necessary, washing is uneasy. Dry cleaning every time should be costly for daily fashion. The last one is not handy for taking off or putting on. Kimono's construction is basically 3 or more layered Kimonos and with 3 or more belts. It would take time longer than we do today's modern clothes. What is it look like, do you think?
As I told you in the first sentence, made one example.
