CNN
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Kimonos are deeply woven into the fabric of Japan’s cultural identity. Yet, the iconic garment is rarely worn now.
Mostly relegated to formal occasions, kimonos are often kept for generations — and analysts suspect there are billions of dollars’ worth gathering dust in the nation’s closets.
But entrepreneur Shotaro Kawamura, CEO of retail holding company Potato Ltd., wants to change that. He works with traditional craftspeople in Japan to upcycle unwanted kimonos into new products, like sneakers.
“By changing forms so that we can use the kimono fabric in our daily life, we can preserve the culture in different ways,” said Kawamura.
The company’s flagship brand, Tokyo Kimono Shoes, works with an artisanal shoe factory in the Tokyo district of Asakusa that’s been handmaking footwear since the 1950s. According to Kawamura, one kimono can be used to make 20 pairs of shoes, which are sold to customers around the globe, retailing for around $325 each.
“We chose sneakers because they are something that everyone uses daily and everyone in the world wears,” said Kawamura, adding that his “mission is to reduce the absolute amount of waste” while preserving artisanal industries.
“I don’t believe that something is good simply because it’s old. But in the case of the kimono, I think they remain in our lives because they are really good,” he said.
Kimono-covered kicks
Kimonos have been worn for more than 1,300 years in Japan, but only took on that name from the 19th century. Typically, ankle-length with a V-neckline, the gowns feature wide sleeves and are tied at the waist with a sash, called an obi. At one time worn for a variety of occasions, from ceremonial attire to daily dress, kimono fabrics range from elaborately embroidered silk brocades to lightweight printed cotton.
The garment remained popular, particularly among women, until the mid-1960s, when it began to be relegated to special occasions.
Kawamura, who spent eight years working in logistics in India, saw that many of Japan’s industries were in decline, and when he returned home, he began looking for new ways to promote Japanese craft.
That’s when he came across AxT Inc., a family-run shoe factory in Asakusa. It began making shoes using kimono fabric in 2020, when factory owner Noriko Onozaki decided to upcycle her mother’s old kimonos, which had been consigned to clothes chests for decades.
“It felt like it would be a waste to throw them away,” Onozaki explained in an email.
At the time, the product’s reach was limited. But with his expertise in logistics and trading, Kawamura saw huge potential in the international market.
To gauge consumers’ appetite for the shoes, Kawamura launched the sneakers on the Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake in 2022. Aiming for a modest 300,000 yen ($2,068) target, the startup ended up raising 8.5 million yen ($58,602).
Just a few months later, Kawamura launched Tokyo Kimono Shoes, which sold out its first run of 40 pairs of shoes in three days. The company has continued to scale, selling 4,500 pairs in 2024, and has upcycled 690 kimonos (around 2,732 square meters of fabric).
Kawamura and his team source the kimonos that AxT Inc. use to make the sneakers, and then market, sell, and deliver the shoes to customers around the globe. The steady stream of income for AxT Inc. is helping to preserve the traditional shoemaking and leather industries in Asakusa, said Kawamura.
“Not only do we hope that customers will like the products, but also, we hope to bring people to come and see the production process,” he added.
Trending textiles
Driven by consumer concerns over fashion’s sustainability and environmental impact, second-hand clothing sales are growing rapidly, accounting for 10% of the global apparel market, according to data from consulting firm McKinsey.
In Japan, the vintage clothing market increased 60% in value between 2019 and 2023 — and has been growing for decades, according to Nancy McDonough, founder of US-based online kimono reseller Kyoto Kimono. The former teacher lived in Kyoto for several years in the mid-1990s, and fell in love with kimonos, collecting around 500 by the time she returned to the US, and inspiring her to launch her resale site.
At the time, McDonough struggled to find vintage stores in Japan, and there was limited interest in second-hand goods, she said: “I had to be careful to say I was looking for ‘furui’ (old) kimono, rather than ‘used,’ to avoid any stigma that might be associated with it.”
But that started to change in the early 2000s. Second-hand kimono retailers began to appear, like Tansu-ya, which launched in 1999 and rapidly opened dozens of stores.
McDonough attributes the growing popularity of kimonos outside of Japan to global interest in the nation’s pop culture, including anime and critically acclaimed shows like ‘Shōgun,’ as well as social media “kimono street styling” trends.
“Since a new silk kimono is unaffordable to the casual wearer, vintage kimonos are the affordable option,” said McDonough.
More recently, other companies have created new ways to transform the traditional garments into contemporary clothing: Kyoto-based designer KIEN turns kimonos into elegant formal dresses, while Made by Yuki offers everyday clothing like shirts, pants and skirts in salvaged kimono fabrics.
And it’s not just in Japan that kimonos are finding a second life: Hong Kong-based Heritage Refashioned uses vintage textiles from across Asia, including kimonos, to make handbags and accessories, and McDonough, who works with collectors on the ground in Japan to source second-hand garments for her store, began her own line of upcycled scarves and accessories about a decade ago.
“Japan went wild for vintage American denim,” she added. “At some point somebody said, Hey, we Japanese have some pretty cool vintage textiles here, as well.”
Kimonos, reborn
Once Tokyo Kimono Shoes took off, Kawamura realized there was much more potential for upcycled kimono products.
“The number of kimonos discarded is huge,” he said, adding that many second-hand retailers collect discarded or donated kimonos, but due to damage or poor condition, “around 90% of those kimonos cannot be resold, so we procure those.”
Last year, Kawamura launched a second brand, Kimono Reborn Tokyo, to offer a larger range of products, including T-shirts, tote bags, and hats. Working with craftspeople predominantly in Tokyo, Kimono Reborn’s products have broader appeal, and in the 14 months since opening its flagship store in Asakusa, the company has upcycled 1,060 kimonos (4,160 square meters), he said.
It opened its second store earlier this year, in Narita Airport, and Kawamura is already planning his next venture: Ninja “tabi” shoes, a traditional type of Japanese footwear with a divided toe, made by craftsmen in Okoyama.
Kawamura is also collaborating with a local design school, to get the next generation of designers involved in heritage textiles. Kimono craftsmanship is hard to pass down through the generations, “so we hope we can work together to preserve it,” said Yumiko Maruo, vice principal of ODA Fashion College Tokyo.
In the future, Kawamura wants to expand into homeware, furniture, and interior decor, and is even toying with the idea of a hospitality concept. “We have more and more tourists every year, and I want to start a hotel decorated with kimonos,” he added.
Ultimately, Kawamura hopes the reimagined kimonos — whether in the form of sneakers, totes or t-shirts — will remind people that old fabrics still have value.
“We should keep good things, rather than throwing them away,” said Kawamura. “By changing their shape, they will become even better. I want to show that there is a way to reuse, remake, and enjoy them.”