By now many of you who have reached our site have most probably followed our Instagram and if you have, you’d have seen my journey to Japan and the interviews with master kimono makers.
My journey into yuzen silk began when I was researching Hawaiian shirts. I discovered that the very first Hawaiian shirts were made by Japanese living in Hawaii that were chopping up kimono silks and turning them into shirts. That curiosity lead me into the world of Japanese mastery in creating the most unique and stunning silks that were used in kimono making, the more muted ones in men’s kimonos not exciting me as much as the elaborate gold leaf designs often used in furisode, homongi and tomosode kimonos.
Once I had procured the first silks we cut them and placed them on the website, it must be 9 years ago now, because I took one to New York for a wedding in 2017. Wow, time flies. And I remember I wore it to The Pierre in Manhattan for drinks with some other menswear guys, with an electric blue barathea wool and cashmere suit I made with my tailor Leng Ngo. The bow tie just set the rest of it off.
We have never had a shortage of men who want them, mostly Americans. And, to this day, I don’t recall another product where we’ve placed it on the website and it has sold out in an hour, like it once did when we first began. These days, they wait a bit longer to go, but for the discerning man who just needs that little bit extra, that work of art around his neck, these bow ties are a must.
I hope you like the new batch.