A couple of years ago, I bought a dress for my friend's wedding from a designer called Soul work. Soul work uses textile patterns from old kimonos and integrates them into really funky designs, the kind you'd see in a French department store. It's like an authentic version of those fake kimono dresses they sell at Forever 21. Very cool. They also have a couple of patterns they've recently created on their own to emulate the fusion between old Kyoto and the fashion runways of the 21st century.
They have stores in Ebisu, Aoyama, Roppongi Hills, and Nihombashi, for those of you who live in Tokyo or are swinging by for a visit. Otherwise, you'll have to wait til they launch their online store to get a piece of authentic Kyoto in your wardrobe without looking like a ceramic doll or a geisha.
You can see more of their designs on their Web site.
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