Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Tenuiya. “Tenui“ means hand stitching and “ya” means house in Japanese. So this is the house of hand stitching. I have always been fascinated by the beauty of vintage kimonos and the detail and complexity of the silk fabric that was used to create them. Most people in the world have not had the opportunity to see and feel a kimono in real life as authentic kimonos can be prohibitively expensive, often costing many thousands of dollars. In today's modern world, there is also very little occasion to wear a traditional kimono.  The items I have made bring the history, beauty and delicacy of kimonos into the modern lifestyle.

A little bit about kimonos:

Until about 100 years ago kimonos were worn by all types of people including farmers and nobility every day. My grandmother wore a kimono everyday of her life. I remember vividly, how she would take the time and care to put on the kimono making sure everything was put together properly and presented well. I was always fascinated by the beauty of the final product, the intricacies of the material and patterns, but more importantly how it transformed my grandmother and all the women who wore one.

The  traditional Japanese kimono was made of cotton, linen and silk. My main focus in my creations is on using all types of Japanese silk kimono fabric.

Vintage Japanese silk is also much stronger than contemporary kimonos because it was tightly woven for every day use and the wear and tear that occurs.