Atelier Shimura was developed by Fukumi Shimura's philosophy of pongee weaving by her daughter, Yoko, and further sublimated into a brand by her grandson, Shoji. Kimono is a piece of clothing that embodies the brand. The destination was solid color. One of the indicators that led us to choose solid colors was how easy they were to wear. Representative Shoji says, ``Easy to wear means easy-going.'' For example, when looking at modern daily clothes and people's lifestyles, for modern people who prefer simple and minimal things, kimonos with high artistry such as Fukumi and Yoko's are expensive, and to begin with. The places and opportunities to wear them are limited.

Is there a kimono that ordinary people can wear that is more similar to their everyday clothes? However, if we do not inherit the ideas of Fukumi and Yoko, the very reason why Atelier Shimura brand kimonos are made will be lost. Amidst this dilemma, Shoji and many of his young, ambitious staff suddenly returned to the idea of ​​``Isshiki Issei.''

Wear the colors of the season and your own colors.

Plain color. It all comes back to finding your own color. This was a discovery close to an invention for Shoji and his colleagues. It would be a good idea to choose kimonos dyed with your favorite plants. Or, it would be fun to have kimonos dyed with seasonal plants in four different colors. You can even bring in plants that you have a connection with, dye thread with them, and make kimonos. In fact, there was a person who had to cut down the cherry tree that was growing in his garden because he had to move. The kimono dyed with cherry blossoms, which has been cherished for generations, was made for a grandchild's coming-of-age ceremony, and there is an anecdote that it was much appreciated.

This new philosophy of solid color, expressing oneself through color, overlapped perfectly with Isshiki Fukuno's philosophy. It was a flash of revelation.

There is one more important thing. Atelier Shimura's colored plain fabrics are yarn-dyed, which means that the yarn is first dyed and then woven. Many solid-colored kimonos are basically piece-dyed. Unlike patterned items, plain colored items do not require multiple colored threads or complicated work, so it is easier to sell if the cost is lower. However, Atelier Shimura's colored plain fabrics are pongee made by winding threads from silkworm cocoons and twisting them, and are woven with yarn-dyed threads. This guiding principle, which is like a backbone, is firmly adhered to. Therefore, even if it is a plain color, the depth and fullness of the color will ooze out.

This cherry-colored kimono also becomes more reddish or grayer when exposed to sunlight, when it is in the shade or under a parasol, and depending on the angle of the light and the behavior of the wearer. Its expression changes moment by moment, sometimes appearing pale pink, almost white. When you look at it from the front, when you look at it diagonally from the side, and depending on the combination with the obi, it looks completely different. This is the beauty of vegetable dyes, and the depth of pongee kimonos. complexion, eye color, voice tone. Since ancient times, colors have been used to signify people's hearts, emotions, and facial expressions. Color truly reflects the way of life. Wearing Atelier Shimura's solid-colored kimonos also means wrapping oneself in one's own bare skin.

Atelier Shimura's kimonos can be purchased at shops and galleries in Shijo Kawaramachi, Kyoto and Seijo, Tokyo. However, Shoji says, ``Even if you don't buy a kimono on the spot, I want people to come to the store and experience wearing a kimono.'' The reason is that the appearance of the kimono you see hanging on the girder and the one you actually wear are so different that you might think they are completely different creatures.

When trying out a fitting for clothes, you often feel a gap in your image, but this is even more apparent when it comes to kimonos. why. This is because while clothes are designed with the three-dimensional shape of the body in mind, a kimono is a single piece of cloth. Therefore, when it is hanging on the kimono, it is like wearing a mask. However, when you put it on your body, the piece of cloth immediately begins to move. A dynamic flow is created according to the movement, and it fits the movement rather than the wearer's body. It is said that many people are amazed by this magical feeling that surrounds them and become captivated by it.

Atelier Shimura's shop is a point of contact for people who want to wear a kimono, but don't know where to buy it or who to ask. And for those who still can't afford kimonos, they also carry stoles that can be purchased easily. This stole is also made from original organic cotton, with the gray dyed from oak and the yellow dyed from wild carrots. Of course, it is hand-woven and feels light and delicate against the skin.

The brand Atelier Shimura was just launched in 2016. Over time, over 10, 30, and 50 years, the color of a kimono becomes familiar, and in the same way that you grow older with that color, we are trying to gradually instill the color of Atelier Shimura over time. There is. This idea is exactly the opposite of the modern commercial values ​​that place value on "new products." The thread comes from the cocoon of the animal silkworm, the dyed color comes from the plants, and the mordant that connects the two uses minerals such as alum and iron. Combining all the organic materials that exist on this earth and weaving them together by hand. It is the very act of life, like giving birth to and raising a child. The same goes for brands.

If the warp is the inheritance of the aspirations of Fukumi Shimura and Yoko Shimura, Atelier Shimura is like a shuttle that threads the modern and colorful weft of that ambition. The kimono created in this way has become a new standard for ``clothing,'' bringing an extremely ethical option to modern people's fashion, which can be said to be immediate and ephemeral. It will bring back the color.

→The colors of nature become the seeds of the soul (Part 1)

(Titles omitted)

Atelier Shimura Shop & Gallery Kyoto Main Store
Hisashi Building 251F, XNUMX-XNUMX Ichinomachi, Shijo Shimoru, Kawaramachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City
11:00 ~ 18:00
Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays (open on public holidays)

Shoji Shimura
Representative of ATELIER SHIMURA Co., Ltd.
Born in Kyoto City in 1972. He completed the doctoral course at Kyoto University Graduate School of Law. After working as an assistant at Kyoto University and a visiting researcher at Warwick University in the UK, he founded the art school Arus Shimura in 2013 with his grandmother, Fukumi Shimura, and mother, Yoko Shimura. In 2016, he established the dyeing and weaving brand Atelier Shimura. His book is ``Dreams are also blue'' (Kawade Shobo Shinsha).