We live in a far more convenient world today than ever before. Every aspect of our daily lives, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear, the way we travel and our social connections, is available almost instantaneously.
Yet, there are slower ways of doing things which demand our time and effort that bring unexpected comfort and rewards. For Kakimori, it’s writing by hand, and for Y. & Sons, it’s the art of dressing in kimono.
“Kimono demands dedication. Firstly, it takes time and effort to put on. It also requires the wearer to conduct themselves in a certain manner. And yet kimono exhilarates us in a way that far outweighs any inconvenience.” (From Y. & Sons website)
Y. & Sons creates luxury traditional Japanese wear using textiles carefully selected by region and weave. Despite the attention to quality, fabric waste is a reality of kimono tailoring, and the brand reached out to us with the hope of repurposing the fabric remnants as notebook covers. This planted the seed for our latest collaboration.
From remnant to notebook
Y. & Sons fabrics are produced from natural fibres including silk and cotton in various traditional regions of Japan. Intended to be worn against the skin, the fabrics are exquisitely soft and smooth to the touch.
While the volume of these fabrics did not meet our production minimums, we wanted to find a way to give these fabrics a second life. After much back and forth with our local manufacturer, we were able to bring the Y. & Sons vision to life, delivering a few dozen notebooks as a special limited edition.
Notebooks as fashion
Witnessing the quality of Y. & Sons' fabrics firsthand inspired us to create a series of notebooks exclusive to Kakimori.
Y. & Sons fabrics refrain from making obvious statements in pattern or colour, and instead exude a subtle yet assured presence. We chose five designs from their extensive range to be made into our A5 notebooks.
The result is a unique collection of notebooks that give form to the ethos behind our two brands.
Dressing in kimono, and writing by hand. Celebrating slow, conscious everyday acts through intentional wear and wares.
