Why Are Vintage Kimono and Haori So Often One of a Kind?
- by MaedaYumiko
- 6 min reading time
Why do vintage kimono and haori look so different from one another, even though so many exist? We take a closer look at traditional fabrics, individual tailoring, sizing, and the role of time in making each piece feel unique.
もちろん。さっきの、そのままコピペしやすい普通の本文形式に戻します。
At Uchia, we describe many of our kimono, haori, and obi as one-of-a-kind pieces.
Even though I work with many different kimono every day, I sometimes find myself wondering:
How can there be so many kimono, and yet almost every piece looks different?
Of course, you do come across similar fabrics, related patterns, or familiar motifs. Very occasionally, you may even find a piece that makes you think: “This looks almost exactly like one I have seen before.”
And yet, when you look at hundreds of kimono and haori, it is remarkable how different almost all of them are.
Why is that?
First comes the fabric – and from it, a garment is made
One of the reasons lies in the traditional way kimono were made.
Unlike modern clothing, where a particular design is often produced in large quantities, in the same colors and in different standard sizes, a kimono traditionally begins with a long, narrow bolt of fabric called a tanmono.
From this fabric, an individual garment is then made.
The fabrics themselves already vary enormously.
There are dyed fabrics, woven fabrics, shibori, stencil-dyed fabrics, embroidery, and many other techniques. Even when the same technique is used, the colors, patterns, and their placement can be very different.
The fabric was also chosen according to the taste, budget, age, and occasion of the person for whom the garment was intended.
The lining, the haura – the inner lining of a haori – the haori cords, and the exact measurements could also be selected individually.
As a result, two pieces may resemble each other and yet look quite different as finished garments.
Even the same fabric can look completely different
What is especially interesting is that even garments made from the same bolt of fabric do not necessarily look the same.
Depending on which part of the pattern appears in which part of the garment, the overall impression can change considerably.
With large-scale patterns in particular, the way the fabric is cut and how the individual motifs are arranged across the back, sleeves, and collar can make a major difference.
For this reason, even two haori or kimono made from the same fabric can look different.
Why kimono cannot simply be divided into S, M, or L
This way of making garments also influences how we think about size when it comes to kimono and haori.
As we also explain in our online shop, kimono and haori cannot be divided as easily or clearly into S, M, or L as modern Western clothing.
A kimono, in particular, is worn by overlapping the fabric and adjusting it to the body. This means that, within a certain range, it can still be worn even if the body changes somewhat – for example, if the wearer loses or gains some weight.
Haori also come in many different lengths and proportions. Some are deliberately short, while others are long haori. A shorter haori therefore does not automatically mean that it is “smaller.” Often, it is more a question of personal taste and the silhouette you want to create.
Another factor is that kimono and haori today are not only worn in a traditional way.
Many people combine them with modern clothing.
Whether you wear only a thin top underneath a haori or a sweater, whether you prefer to wear it loose and oversized or closer to the body – all of this affects which measurements feel comfortable and suitable.
That is why it is often difficult to directly transfer your usual Western clothing size to a kimono or haori.
Height and arm length, on the other hand, hardly change. For that reason, measurements such as the overall length or the measurement from the center of the back to the wrist – called yuki in Japanese – are useful points of reference.
For this reason, at Uchia we provide not only an approximate size guide but also the actual measurements of each individual piece.
Of course, there was also serial production
This does not mean that every kimono in the past was a completely unique piece.
Some fabrics were indeed produced in larger quantities.
A good example is Meisen, a type of silk textile that was especially popular in the early 20th century and was produced relatively widely.
With stencil dyeing, the same stencils could also be used repeatedly, which meant that identical or very similar patterns could be created.
Sometimes I also come across a piece and think:
“I have definitely seen this pattern before!”
But even then, the pieces often differ in color, in the period in which the fabric was produced, in the lining, or in the way they were later made into a garment.
Completely identical finished pieces are therefore surprisingly rare.
Then there is the factor of time
With vintage kimono, there is another important factor:
time.
Let us imagine that a particular pattern was produced on many fabric bolts in the 1930s.
That does not mean that all of those pieces still exist around 90 years later.
Some were worn until they became damaged. Others were discarded, altered, taken apart, or reused for something new.
Only a portion of them has survived until today.
And by now, many of these pieces are no longer found only in Japan, but are spread all over the world.
Even if several very similar pieces originally existed, the chance of encountering exactly the same one again today is therefore very small.
This makes the feeling of each piece being one of a kind even stronger.
Even after seeing hundreds of pieces, there is always something new to discover
When I look at the old kimono and haori we work with at Uchia, I still sometimes find myself thinking:
“How can there be so many, and yet almost all of them are different?”
Once you have seen hundreds of pieces, you begin to think less often:
“There is exactly that same pattern again.”
Instead, you start to notice things like:
“These colors seem to appear more often in this period.”
Or:
“This type of pattern seems to have been especially popular at that time.”
Pieces from the same era can sometimes feel a little as though they belong to the same family.
And yet, each individual piece still has its own details.
With haori in particular, the inner lining can also be especially fascinating.
On the outside, a haori may look very calm and understated, while inside it hides a striking, colorful, or even surprisingly playful pattern.
These patterns are only briefly visible when putting the haori on, taking it off, or when the fabric moves.
For me, this reveals a particularly beautiful side of older Japanese fashion: the enjoyment of details that do not need to be visible all the time.
Perhaps that is exactly one of the reasons why vintage kimono and haori remain so fascinating today.
You may one day find something similar again.
But you may never encounter exactly the same piece twice.