Love: Live : Kimono
The Obi Store is Ariane’s project.
Ariane is from Montreal, Canada but now lives in a quiet suburb of Tokyo.
From early on, she loved two things: fashion and Japan, and her two passions finally met a few years ago.
Ariane’s first encounter with a traditional Japanese kimono was in 2008 in the beautiful traditional city of Kanazawa, where a friend’s family put a yukata on her. But it took a few more years before she actually decided to learn kitsuke (kimono wearing) : « My impression that first time was that it was a pretty complicated process, and I wasn’t sure it was OK for a non-Japanese person to wear kimono ».
Years later, while choosing a wedding kimono in a multi-story shop filled with absolutely breathtaking articles, she developed a deep interest : « Also, at that time, my husband told me that his grandma, whom I have never met, used to dye kimono as her hobby. It meant a lot to me, to have that connection with her, as she is very special to the man I love, being the person who mainly took care of him in his youth. » .
Ariane learned the basics of kitsuke taking private lessons while working full time for a Japanese company. She prefers second-hand items, as she can get beautiful and unique hand-made items for the price of mass-produced kimono.
« Even if you don’t wear kimono yourself, I think kimono and kimono related items can be so intricate, beautifully crafted, colourful and carry such an interesting cultural and personal story that it’s hard not to feel something when you actually hold one in your hands ».
