English Translation below

日本の家庭には、数多くの着物や反物が箪笥に眠っています。

(その価値は、３兆円以上とも言われています。)

それらの着物は、通常、母親や祖母から何世代にも渡り受け継がれたもので、

中には１００年以上前のものもあります。

ハットのクリエーターであるChiakiはこの事実に着目。

日本中から着物や反物を集め、リメイクすることで、

新しいスタイルのハットや着物ドレスとして、生まれ変わらせています。

例えば、この着物ドレスは、Chiakiの母親から、彼女の７歳プレゼントに贈った着物を

再利用したものです。

彼女は使われない着物や反物を、美しいハットやドレスに変化させることができ、

自身のビジネスを通じて、消費者へ直接発信しているのです。

日本の人々が、彼らの家庭に着物や反物が眠っていることに気づき、その背景には、数多くの職人や日本の伝統文化があることを、彼女は思い出して欲しいと思っています。

日本人が元来持っている、「再利用」という気持ちを忘れないように。

この活動を通じて、日本の人々が「この着物は誰が作ったか？」という意識を持ち、

ひいてはそれが、「自分たちの洋服を作っているのは誰か？」という意識に繋がって行くことを願っています。

Chiakiは自身の創作活動を通じて、”Fashion Revolution”を応援しています。

Through The Kimono

Japanese families have Kimonos and Kimono fabric in their wardrobes, even if they don’t use them. The estimated value of Kimono fabric sitting unused is 3000 billion Japanese Yen. These beautiful dresses and fabrics will have been passed down from grandmothers and mothers over many generations, often over 100 years.

Ms Chiaki, hat designer, focusses on this resource and is gathering them from all over Japan to remake them into new hats and dresses. For example, this Kimono Dress was made from Kimono fabrics which Chiaki’s mother gave her on her 7th birthday.  She changes this unused stock of textiles into beautiful hats and dresses through her creativity which she sells directly to her customers.

Chiaki wants to let Japanese people know that they have valuable Kimonos and Kimono fabric in their homes and remind them of the many craftsmen who have made them over the years, as well as promoting their traditional culture. We have to keep our ‘reuse mind’ that we have originally as Japanese people.

Through this act, Chiaki hopes that many Japanese people will think about Who Made This Kimono? and that someday this will extend to the connection to Who Made My Clothes? as well. Chiaki supports Fashion Revolution through her creative action.

Saturday 9 May 2015 is World Fair Trade Day #WFTD2015

This storyboard by Khushboo Wadhwani beautifully presents the routine of making block print cloth in India. The brief was to show the production process and the skills involved, rather than focussing on the people.

Fair Trade is a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty, climate change and global economic crises. The World Bank 2014 Report shows that more than one billion people still live at or below $1.25 a day.

The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) believes that trade must benefit the most vulnerable and deliver sustainable livelihoods by developing opportunities especially for small and disadvantaged producers. Recurring global economic crises and persistent poverty in many countries confirm the demand for a fair and sustainable economy locally and globally. Fair Trade is the response.

CREDITS

Footage:
Indiaroots.com
Good Earth India
Bollywood! Boclive (Lakme Fashion Week footage)

Music:
Tony Anderson: Breakthrough