From Tokyo to Paris: The History and Culture of the Kimono

For over a millennium, the kimono has spanned eras, continents, and imaginations. By turns a ceremonial garment, a warrior's device, or a meditation device, it embodies much more than a garment: a vision of the world, a posture, an elegance rooted in gesture . A symbol of ancestral Japan, it has gradually conquered Western catwalks and Parisian streets, becoming today a vehicle for personal expression as well as an aesthetic manifesto. 

At Atelier Sarita, we honor this tradition by reinventing it through kimonos handmade in Paris, combining artisanal know-how and contemporary style.
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In this article, delve into the history and culture of the kimono, from its Japanese origins to its influence today, including its urban reinterpretation in Paris.

At the origins: a ritual and codified garment

An ancient symbolism

The kimono truly emerged during the Heian period (794–1185), a period of extreme refinement when the Japanese imperial court elevated elegance and symbolic significance to an art of living. Far from being a mere habit, the kimono became a codified language, revealing social rank, the season, mood, and marital status.

Each fold, each pattern, each color follows a precise logic. White evokes purity, indigo blue protects against insects and spirits, and floral motifs indicate the time of year. Wearing a kimono at this time of year means subscribing to a textile cosmology, where the garment's shape—straight, without complex stitching—embody a form of spiritual sobriety.

The gesture of putting it on, always from the left side over the right, is not trivial: it distinguishes the living from the dead (in whom the order is reversed), and underlines the importance of the relationship to the body, to the world, to the sacred.

Emblematic figures

Among the faces that embody the history of the kimono, the geisha and the samurai are the most striking. For geisha, the kimono is a form of silent communication: colors, patterns, sleeve length—everything tells a story, seduces, intrigues, or asserts a social position. It can sometimes weigh several pounds and require the help of an assistant to put on properly.

Among the samurai, the kimono takes on a completely different meaning: it reflects martial discipline, honor, and restraint. Worn under armor or alone in civilian situations, it is often more understated, accentuated by the hakama (wide pants) and the kataginu (jacket with stiff shoulders). It embodies quiet strength and respect for the code of bushido.

The kimono also varies according to age, gender, and marital status: long sleeves for young single women, shorter sleeves for married women, and fabrics of varying luxury depending on the wearer's means. This codified complexity makes it a garment deeply rooted in the social and ritual structure of traditional Japan.

The arrival of the kimono in the West

The aesthetic shock of Japonism

The West discovered the kimono long before it was worn. From the mid-19th century, with the forced opening of Japan to international trade (Treaty of Kanagawa, 1854), Europe was struck by a veritable aesthetic shock: it was the era of Japonism.

Japanese art objects—prints, screens, ceramics, fabrics, and of course, kimonos—flooded bourgeois salons and private collections. The World's Fairs (notably those in Paris in 1867 and 1878) revealed to the general public a radically new aesthetic: pure lines, stylized floral motifs, and assertive asymmetry. The kimono, then imported as indoor or collector's clothing, gradually became a symbol of exotic refinement.

Artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Whistler depicted women in kimonos in their works. The garment became a muse, a fantasy projection of an idealized Orient.

The kimono in European fashion

At the turn of the 20th century, the kimono moved from paintings to wardrobes—particularly thanks to avant-garde designers like Paul Poiret, who drew inspiration from straight lines and ample volumes to free the female body from corsets. He incorporated clothing directly inspired by the kimono into his collections, introducing the idea of ​​fluidity and comfort to Western fashion.

Later, Yves Saint Laurent played with the codes of the kimono in his evening wear, while Kenzo (one of the first Japanese designers to break into Paris) blended Japanese tradition and Western aesthetics in colorful, deconstructed collections. The kimono became a couture piece, then a city piece, eventually invading streetwear and everyday silhouettes.

This transition from ritual garment to universal fashion item marks a turning point: the kimono no longer only symbolizes exoticism, it becomes a silhouette in its own right, modular, readable in all cultures.

At Atelier Sarita: a bridge between two worlds

Transmit without freezing

At Atelier Sarita, the kimono is not a relic of the past, but a piece in motion, designed for today. Far from rigid imitation or folkloric pastiche, each creation draws on ancestral Japanese cuts, while adapting them to the gestures and customs of Western everyday life.

The fold, the drape, the absence of closure: these fundamentals of the kimono are preserved, but reinterpreted with urban materials, modulated lengths, volumes designed for walking, work, active life. The finishes are handmade in our Parisian workshop, with the attention to minimal elegance: an invisible seam, a discreet border, a perfect drape.

At Sarita, kimono is tradition as a starting point, not as an end in itself.

The kimono as urban clothing

We see the kimono as a living piece, transforming itself according to those who embrace it. Paris, with its blend of elegance, excitement, and cultural diversity, is our playground. Here, the kimono expresses itself without complex: over jeans, a black dress, an oversized T-shirt, or pleated pants.

It becomes a piece of clothing for town, work, going out, and maternity. It accompanies ordinary moments as much as exceptional milestones.

At Sarita, we have designed the kimono for both women and men without any rigid distinction. This garment, born from a distant culture, becomes here the support of a chosen identity, a free style, a gentle but powerful gesture.

Why does this piece continue to inspire?

A universal silhouette

The kimono transcends cultures because it hugs the body without ever controlling it. Its loose, flowing, and symmetrical cut offers immediate comfort and rare freedom of movement. It doesn't conform to an ideal body shape, but rather adapts to the reality of each silhouette.

Whether belted or worn open, long or short, the kimono enhances the body's natural volume, without pressure or artifice. It thus fits into a contemporary vision of fashion: inclusive, respectful, and genderless.

Kimono as posture

To wear a kimono is to embrace a form of calm elegance. Far from performance or ostentation, it invites a discreet yet assured presence. Its straight cut, clear lines, and loose drape create a unique posture: nonchalant yet precise, gentle yet decisive.

It's a way of presenting oneself to the world by asserting both one's uniqueness and one's roots. The kimono, more than a garment, becomes a gesture worn.

A play that tells a story

Each kimono carries memory and narrative. Whether it's a hand-dyed fabric, a cut inspired by an ancient model, or a reinterpreted pattern, it tells a story of a connection between eras, cultures, and identities.

At Atelier Sarita, each creation is designed as a piece to be passed down, inhabited, and embodied. It can evoke a journey, a moment in life, a personal choice. In this sense, the kimono is never neutral: it says something about the person wearing it.

The kimono is much more than an ancestral garment: it's a bridge between cultures, a living testament to history and identity. From Tokyo to Paris, it embodies fluid elegance, a respect for gesture, and a rare ability to reinvent itself without betraying its roots.
At Atelier Sarita, this richness guides us to create pieces that are both a tribute and a contemporary manifesto.

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