Creative Design: Professional

Giving New Life to Old Kimonos: A Design Method for Upcycling Kimonos into Marketable, Cost-Effective, Zero-Waste, Size-Adjustable Dresses

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Abstract

The tradition of gifting a wardrobe of kimonos to Japanese daughters by their affluent parents was a significant cultural practice until the 1980s. This practice prepared them to be appropriately attired for occasions throughout their married life. However, the decline in kimono use has led to many high-quality cotton, wool, and silk kimonos being donated to second-hand shops (Valk, 2020). Kimonos offer an efficient and consistent source material as the hand-sewn seams can be easily removed, returning panels to the kimono’s original rectangular flat pieces (McCarthy, 2021). This abundance of high-quality, easily reusable materials is an unexplored sustainable fashion option. The Repurposing Design Process for Level Four Repurposing—Intentional Patternmaking (Eike et al., 2020) was used to create and test a method for upcycling the abundant supply of second-hand kimonos into a zero-waste, mass-producible, cost-effective marketable, size-adjustable dress. Designers may use the method to upcycle kimonos in a mass-production setting. 

Keywords: kimono, zero-waste, upcycle, size-adjustable, size-adustable

How to Cite:

McKinney, E., (2025) “Giving New Life to Old Kimonos: A Design Method for Upcycling Kimonos into Marketable, Cost-Effective, Zero-Waste, Size-Adjustable Dresses”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18568