Kuden Project 플랫폼 by Takahiro Sato is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 철상 in 소셜 디자인 Competition Category.

철소셜· 2020

Kuden Project 플랫폼

by Takahiro Sato

Client: KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO

A' Design Award 철상 Winner in 소셜 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Kuden Project 플랫폼

다음 기모노 플랫폼은 상품 일뿐만 아니라 일본의 전통 기모노 문화 소멸과 일본과 서양의 높은 봉제 기술 상실이라는 두 가지 사회적 문제를 해결하기위한 사회적인 디자인 역할을합니다. 일상에서 기모노를 쉽게 입을 수 있도록 3 가지 아이템으로 구성되어 있습니다. 사람들은 기모노로 풀 세트를 착용하고 일상적인 복장으로 싱글을 착용합니다. 넥스트 기모노는 세계의 일상 생활에서 입는 계기로 재봉 공장에서 전통과 공정한 임금으로 일자리를 요구합니다. KUDEN의 최종 목표는 CEO 아들을 포함한 장애인 고용입니다.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 철상

Kuden Project 플랫폼, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 철상 수상작으로, 잘 디자인된 창작물에 기대되는 전문적·산업적 요건을 충족하는 좋은 디자인에 수여되는 권위 있는 인정입니다. 철상 수상작은 창작자의 뛰어난 기술, 높은 전문성, 전문가다운 이해, 창의적 역량을 보여 줍니다. Kuden Project 플랫폼, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 창작물로서 실용적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 철상 수상 디자인은 업계 모범 사례를 통합하며 노하우와 재능으로 연결된 유능한 기술적 특성을 갖추고 있습니다. Kuden Project 플랫폼, 이 작품은 철저함으로 존중받으며 삶의 질을 개선하여 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들도록 디자인되었습니다.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: KUDEN's Next Kimono platform is not only product but also has a role as social design to solve 2 social issues Disappear Japanese traditional kimono culture and Lost high sewing technique for both Japanese and Western. For easy to take kimono in daily life, it consists of 3 items. People wear both fullset as kimono and single with their usual outfit as daily clothes. As a trigger to wear kimono in world's daily life, Next Kimono makes demand for traditional kimono and jobs at fair wages for sewing factory.
Dimensions & Packaging: Next Kimono is consists of 3 items. The social design to expand kimono to the world. Design and material are selected for suitable to daily life all over the world.Samurai Mode Jacket, Samurai Mode Pants and Samurai Mode Shirt, it's Next Kimono Platform.
Samurai Mode Jakcet(M size): Face side:triacetate69%,polyester31%/Lining:cupra100%/shoulder width:72cm/Sleeve length:38cm/Body length:82cm/Sleeve hem width:21cm/Sleeve width:43cm
The material of jacket is Soaron made of triacetate. In 1967, Japanese company Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation produced the Soaron first time.
From then, Soaron is always caught the eye of creator because that makes creativity higher. This material receive high commendation from fashion business world.By this fabric, we aim to comfortable jacket like what you want to put your arm through the sleeve.
Tags: social, traditional, kimono, apparel, branding, fashion, ethical, platform, solution
Production Technology: Nowadays kimono is known all over the world but on the other hand, the scale of Japanese kimono market is 1/10 compared to 35 years ago. Disappearing kimono as usual outfits, most Japanese can’t wear kimono by themselves.Also special technique to sew Kimono, Japanese dressmaking called Wasai is despairing.
We need a policy to expand kimono market and make more demands of kimono and also remove the obstacle to wear kimono in daily life. So I design Next Kimono, no need special technique to wear, as new kimono platform and adopt custom order to consider working environment.
Design Challenge: Most difficult challenge is redesign as western dressmaking remaining attracts of kimono. Also finding material and sewing factory that can actualize the shape by western dressmaking was difficult. In addition, put high value how we are as brand, without lie to customer so we show the cost to customer for they understand how/what/to who their payment is used for.
Research: Focus on the fact that kimono is long life design & 1 design (fashion platform) continued 400 years ago in Edo period. I consider kimono as a platform, to make it suitable for modern daily life all over the world, I redesign as Next Kimono platform. To bring kimono now recognized as expensive clothes only for special day back to daily outfits. Wear without special technique, 3 piece set design to wear separately, actualize affordable price by adapting western dressmaking.
Increase the demands of kimono, expand kimono market to the world, it connects to make interests for traditional kimono and Wasai (Japanese dressmaking) . The artisan of wasai decreases and even have to close their company because of diminishment of kimono culture. Even they have, it’s a low wage. Japanese dressmaking needs more time to make a clothes compared with western dressmaking so it can’t expand the market in short term. So I adapt western dressmaking for first step to expand kimono market and connect to employment of disabled people.
Our final goal is actualize employment of disabled people with sewing factory and artisans. But we can’t start with Japanese dressmaking first because of reason above so we try to make demands for kimono with western dressmaking factory and connect this activity to our final goal.

Also we have another approach as Ethical brand for environment, not only for working. We sell the vintage haori and kimono too. Mass production over our demand makes excessive stock in result, The brand that worry about be damaged by sold cheap price dispose their stocks to protect brand’s value and profit. This is the current situation for apparel world. They are too much burden on natural environment.In Japan, distribution stock that bankrupt company left in those history and closet stock lost balance between supply and demand.There is $30 billion closet stock, it 20 years worth of kimono demand. Only those stock can do is waiting for disposal.
KUDEN think ethical has to be sustainable, consideration for environment to produce products long time.
Not only produce new product like that, Also keep using already on market or you have with thanks to environment and producer, not disposal and throw away immediately is important sustainable approach for KUDEN.
Inspiration: When I sort through my mother's effects, I found her kimono. I remember my childhood kimono memory with mother and felt I want to wear kimono but can’t because I don’t know how to wear. I realized kimono culture will disappear if it keeps going. It’s my first inspiration. Also the reason I start brands, I have a son with disability and from my experience that involved in employment for disabled people, saw the product they make, I decided to make the place that people like my son works with joy.
Project Duration: First publish is on Kickstarter in November 2018 and produced Jacket first time in January 2019. Our partner sewing factory Marron went bankrupt in May 2019 and temporarily stopped production. It made our brand to go more Ethical brand and realize the importance of social design. KUDEN publish our cost to customer and keep 40-50% cost rate. In December 2019, released Pants.
Operation Flow: Next Kimono platform is a trigger to experience kimono in daily life and like it. To actualize it, Next Kimono doesn’t need special technique to wear, can wear 3 piece as kimono and also single with ordinary outfits. It makes it to wear and go in kimono for more opportunities. Redesign kimono but also remain the attracts of kimono like Miyatsuguchi, unique sleeve shape. Also Next Kimono platform is 1 design and long life design, it means we don’t follow the trends. It has a function to improve the working environment and efficiency of production and finance because the sewing factory can continue to sew same pattern, it means they accumulate the technique and increase their skills.
Team Members: Social Designer/Chief Designer(Creative Director): Takahiro Sato
Graphic Designer : Asami Sato
Image Credits: Photographer: Nobuyuki Arai, Mance Thompson, Serene Mangmati, Takahiro Sato