kimonoko by Robinia Hill

A couple months ago, one of our coworkers, who has a side business in textile design, invented a new piece of clothing. As she prototyped the item, she shared updates with her podmates, including Ian, who tried to explain it to me. I was confused (it's hard to explain 2D to 3D without an accompanying demonstration) but curious. And after a few conversations with Takako, I found myself at the office on a weekend, modeling said piece of clothing for Robinia Hill.

Kimonoko is deceptively simple, and only limited by the wearer's creativity. One piece of fabric, with one (or two) expertly placed opening(s) and possibly a safety pin or two, transforms into a wrap, a shirt, a dress, a skirt, a jacket, all with infinite styling possibilities.

Takako has a few variations in different fabrics and sizes, but my favorite is the one in the photographs. The print is a black and white high contrast graphic created from a photo taken at a hotel in Yokohama, overlooking the harbor. A line of text, referring to Yokohama's history, threads through the image. Printed on a light but durable silk, it glides with every movement.

I had so much fun helping Takako bring her creation to life, and am excited to see where kimonoko goes from here.

Click here to see kimonoko on Robinia Hill's blog.