The emerging relevance of kimono-inspired fashion.

The kimono's influence on every-day fashion has been experiencing a renaissance, staking its claim as a fashion statement that is more relevant than ever.

Why is it that we’re seeing more and more kimono-inspired fashion? Whether authentic vintage or fresh spin-offs, kimono style has been popular ever since the turn of the Century. But recently, the kimono’s influence on every-day fashion has been experiencing a renaissance, staking its claim as a fashion statement that is more relevant that ever.

The recent opening of “Kimono Style: the John C. Weber Collection” at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is an immersive exhibition that conveys the evolution of the kimono’s influence on Western fashion design. Since the turn of the century the kimono’s shape has evolved to adapt to new ways of living. Kimono-inspired garments have a cross-cultural appeal that transcends nations and genders

.https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2022/kimono-style

I was fascinated by an article, “The Kimono in Street Style,” recently published by Vogue about the exhibit and the resurgence of kimono-inspired design in the fashion industry as well as what we see being worn as street style. https://www.vogue.com/article/street-style-fashion-week-kimono-street-style-history

As we emerge from the pandemic, we are enjoying getting dressed up again, but are doing it in a more sophisticated, less complicated way. We are moving towards elegant simplicity and prefer quality over quantity. We are craving an elevated ease that is comfortable and adaptable to any occasion. Relaxed silhouettes and interchangeable pieces are more popular than ever, as well as mixed prints and fresh new takes on bold color combinations.

Tokyo, fall 2022 ready-to-wear

Photographed by Kira/tokyofashion.com

Later this summer my husband and I are planning to see the Kimono Style Exhibit at the Met. We will dress for the occasion in our own version of kimono street style and hope to see others doing the same!

Learning to Wait

Making the Most of Setbacks and Roadblocks.

Since our incredible Launch Event some unforeseen obstacles have popped up, seeming to derail the momentum generated by our Launch. More than the usual letdown after such a highlight, it was more like falling flat on my face with one thing after the other getting in the way of making any progress. I found myself buried in the details of creating flow charts and inventory controls, managing finances, following up with those who came out and supported us at our Launch, segmenting mailing lists and trying to get our new collection photographed, the photos edited, the copy written, and the website updated. I had to keep reminding myself of how far we've come in such a short amount of time, and to not become overwhelmed by my frustrations with Photoshop and not being able to edit photos the way I wanted. There are endless time-consuming tasks that take me away from designing and creating my products and properly marketing and promoting them. It's just all so overwhelming at times.

Deciding to pour myself into doing something productive, I spent a few days cleaning out the basement and sorting through photos, home accessories and decor and clothing. We ordered a dumpster, which we totally filled up within hours. I organized my closet, ironed all of my summer clothes, sorted through piles of costume jewelry, books, shoes and cleaned everything. This is not what I had planned to be doing, but it kept me feeling productive when other obstacles got in my way.

There were also some family issues going on that were quite stressful, as well, as Bill and I were dealing with a troubled son who suddenly came back into our lives after being homeless and completely lost to us for almost three years. The struggles have been emotional and spiritual, and we all have had our good days and not-so-good days.

Then, after over two year of escaping it, Bill and I both came down with Covid. It was so bad for Bill, that he had to be hospitalized. For the last week we have both been in bed, stopped in our tracks. It is a helpless feeling of being totally powerless over what's happening. Neither one of us is very good at dealing with sitting still and not being able to do anything about a situation.

The only thing to do was to try and make the most of it. Since I am unable to get to my photo studio where I can photograph the new kimonos, I have been writing the catalog copy, revising my inventory system and bit by bit getting ready to hit the ground running as soon as I can.

Now that Bill and I are feeling better, and it has stopped raining, the world is looking brighter, and we will be getting back to some sense of normal soon. It feels good to be a little more organized, and a lot more rested. I feel ready to get back into my daily routine and get out and about to run errands and see my friends and generally get back on track. But I have learned a few things through all of this. Mostly, to accept what I can't control, and to be at peace with not knowing how this is going to turn out. I'm so grateful to Bill for taking such good care of me while I was sick, and for the heart to heart talks we had during this ordeal. God is good. Things work out for the best in spite of how we think they should go. I'm looking forward to moving forward, and am excited about all of the new possibilities that are coming our way.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support. It means so much to us. Good things are on the way!!

We have launched!

A tale of an epic evening beyond our expectations.

Wow! What a great evening we had! After three years of preparing for this event, we have finally officially launched the J.Mullin Apparel line of distinctive handcrafted luxury kimonos!

Over 70 fabulous fashion-loving women came to our event on Thursday, April 21 at the 1900 Building in Kansas City. The ladies entered an elegant boutique-like dressing room setting with fabulous passed canapés and an open wine and champagne bar where they felt comfortable to move around the room and try on kimonos as they visited with each other.

Our two models, Mariah Kelli and Amy Dreyer Appleton mingled among the guests and modeled several different kimono ensembles throughout the evening. Our stylist, Amani Skalacki, put outfits together all evening long -- both for our models and for the guests.

We all wore several different kimonos throughout the evening. It was so much fun to see the reactions of our guests to how they looked and felt when they put yet another kimono on. By the end of the evening, our guests had put on their own fashion show. It was the best dress-up party, which far surpassed my expectations.

Our wonderful MC, Katie Van Luchene charmed us all with her poised and professional presentation. Of course, I had to tell the story of how we met. I was new to Kansas City, and attended a runway show at KCFW (Kansas City Fashion Week). I was wearing a kimono I had just finished making that day. It was the first one I ever made. I was nervous about what to wear. After all, it was a fashion event. As I was making my way to my front row seat, a glamorously dressed woman came up to me and complimented me on it. When I told her that I made it, she said, "I'd buy it in a heartbeat!" I was stunned, and thought to myself, "Maybe I should make some more!" I didn't know who she was, but her reaction and kind words to me had a huge impact on me.

That same night I met Jennifer Lapka, the founder of Rightfully Sewn, who told me about her non-profit organization that works with new designers to develop patterns and do small batch production. The rest is history. Here we are three years later, and the woman who complimented me on my kimono that night was none other than Katie Van Luchene, who was now the MC for my Launch Event. And, Jennifer Lapka was one of my honored guests and a presenter.

I have been working with her team of professionals for the last two years on creating three new patterns, and streamlining our production process. She spoke about Rightfully Sewn's mission of providing education and employment opportunities for underserved women in Kansas City. Her business model has attracted the attention of the Council of Fashion Designers in America (CFDA) which is considering starting a similar organization in New York City.

Another honored guest, Bobbi Jo Reed, stole our hearts with her story of founding Healing House, a non-profit organization that provides housing and counseling to those recovering from substance abuse issues. Her mission of lifting women up, giving them confidence and a fresh new start on life meshes with my own mission of encouraging women to be all they were born to be; to give themselves permission to be more of who they are and to not hesitate to invest in themselves and create a life for themselves around what they love.

Both Jennifer and Bobbi Jo now have their own J.Mullin kimono. And Katie Van Luchene now has three! One of the highlights of the launch event was Katie's presentation of the luxurious

way we package our purchased kimonos.

When she untied the navy blue ribbon and opened the white box to reveal the package inserts and tissue wrapped kimono, I suggested she go ahead and open it. Inside, was THE kimono that brought us together. The very first kimono I ever made, which I still had, and now it was going to be hers. I also included a small leather shoulder bag that was printed from a photograph of the kimono's fabric. It was a great moment!

There are not enough thank you's to go around for all of the people who helped me put this event together: O'Neill Events, the 1900 Building staff and the Restaurant at 1900 for its fabulous catering and bar service, and the sales reps of the local magazines who were very patient with my lack of PhotoShop skills in preparing display ads! And, of course, our wonderful presenters, models, stylist and MC! Thank you also to my photographer, Samantha Levi, and videographer, Johanna Brooks, for their excellent work.

Our new kimonos are not on our website yet -- but they will be soon. In fact, some of them are still being made. The new kimonos we had at the launch event were completed the day before the event, and Bobbi Jo Reed and my husband, Bill, were still tagging them as our guests were arriving. I will let you know when the new kimonos are on our website!

By the end of the evening, we had sold ten kimonos and several scarves and belts. Two of our guests purchased two kimonos each! It was so gratifying to be so well received by some of Kansas City's best dressed women. We are grateful to all of those who came out and supported us and that we are able to donate all proceeds from our Launch Event to Healing House.