Iron Social Design · 2020
Kuden Project Platform
- A' Design Award 2020 Iron Winner in Social Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: KUDEN by TAKAHIRO SATO
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 23,105
- Verification code 597C64497C · Verify this award
About Kuden Project Platform
Next Kimono platform is not only product but also has a role as social design to solve 2 social issue: Disappear Japanese traditional kimono culture and Lost high sewing technique for 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 it in world's daily life, Next Kimono makes demand for traditional one and jobs at fair wages for sewing factory. Final goal of Kuden is employment of disabled people include CEO's son.
Press Kit
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Image Credits
- Photographer: Nobuyuki Arai, Mance Thompson, Serene Mangmati, Takahiro Sato
Colors of Kuden Project Platform
Design Interview about Kuden Project Platform
I focus on one thing strongly, that is “this design is as means for who and what.” Because I believe design is one of the means to make people happy.
So I like designing that we can’t see, like strategy and gimmick to make people feeling happy.
So I like designing that we can’t see, like strategy and gimmick to make people feeling happy.
Focus on 3 things. First, the function that people who like Japanese culture in the world can wear without special technique. Second, function people in the world can wear in each climate and lifestyle. Even in Japan, climate has changed so for world there are many kinds of lifestyle and situation. So as modern kimono, I pick material to be comfortable to wear as also daily fashion. Finally, actualize function that originally traditional kimono has, one design but can make many variation to change fabric and patters. Realize this tolerant feature on Samurai Mode Series. So Samurai Mode can be changed inner fabric, and have plan to take world traditional pattern in Samurai Mode.
The Samurai Mode Series that receive the award this time will be upgraded like the function that becomes modern kimono if wear all 3 pieces. Also take the function traditional kimono originally has , can adjust for people all over the world even it's a one-design, makes more easy and comfortable to wear with remaining traditional kimono looks but also add a new function.
It’s my first time to make the clothes and called me designer so what I did first was buying a sewing machine and tried to sew shirt, made patterns so I spent 1 year for complete.
Why I started KUDEN is making the place to work with my son and inspiration for Samurai Mode Series comes from my mother, she liked kimono. I decide to make the brand for all over the world and found her kimono. People in the world can’t wear traditional kimono even they want so I design Next Kimono, it’s modern kimono-like clothes.
It’s my own new business project so my brand has responsibility from make to sell. Until deliver to customer is also my design.
First, I want it. In addition, people in the world tells me their worries like they want to wear traditional kimono but don’t know how to wear.
Mr.Setsu Nagasawa, illustrator.
Japanese culture, anime, manga, samurai, kimono…who loves those culture.
Almost new kimono in the market can be divided 2 groups. One is making clothes by kimono fabric and pattern. The other is making kimono by usual fabric. But I design from pattern and shape as new one, I call it Kimono Re-boot and Next Kimono. It’s a different from other kimono like clothes, I think.
I think people in the world have special, positive feeling for the word “samurai”. To describe my feeling and spirit, after went bankrupt my company I rouse myself to make the place to work with my disabled son, samurai is perfect world.
iPad Pro, pencil and sewing machine.
Making from construction and understated.
I completed my design by discussing with specialists, pattern makers and artisans having special sewing technique.
Rather than for product, it’s on branding side. I can make people know and deliver to all over the world by technology. I call it GOFUKUYA3.0, people can order as they like even from far away. People experience the joy of Japanese traditional GOFUKUYA online. It’s very practical.
I researched the history of traditional kimono, materials, how to wear kimono (it’s called “kitsuke” in Japanese) , different between Japanese dressmaking and western dressmaking and also philosophy that people wear clothes.
Finding sewing artisan who has technique that can realize the design.
As a result, I met wonderful artisans.
As a result, I met wonderful artisans.
I have 2 reasons. I called myself designer when I was 43 years old. I couldn’t go to school to study design and must gave up my path because of disadvantaged home environment. Really disappointing, frustrating, tough memory for me. But now, when I was 43 years old, I became designer. I want to prove to people who can’t learn at school because of some disadvantaged environment like me that we can come true my dream if we keep making a effort and never give up.
The other reason is for people around me, my staff, sewing artisans and customers. They always encourage me, give a courage to me who embarrassing to call myself designer. I think if I receive the award it acknowledge strongly what they buy and support so I want award for them.
The other reason is for people around me, my staff, sewing artisans and customers. They always encourage me, give a courage to me who embarrassing to call myself designer. I think if I receive the award it acknowledge strongly what they buy and support so I want award for them.
It’s my own company’s new business project so I have limited cost and human resource. But I tried , think how to be able to actualize within that limit , and finally receive the award. I learn creativity, ingenuity, and inspiration , originality of designer again.
I design Next Kimono as one of kimono so people especially Japanese often say “it’s just a kimono” when they see photo. It’s honorable thing for me. Because I design Next “Kimono”. For people know kimono, I want them to wear, they may understand the difference. I design like that.