Kimono—traditional Japanese clothing. With the changes in our lifestyles, people are wearing kimono less and less frequently, and it is also said that there are 200 million kimono left unused in closets in Japan. In this article, we would like to introduce “Samurai ALOHA,” a brand that upcycles those kimono into Aloha shirts.

Samurai ALOHA is a brand that originated in Miyagi Prefecture. Their products are manufactured in the Tohoku region. Moms in Miyagi Prefecture gently and carefully unstiffen, wash, and cut up kimono that are no longer used as mentioned above, and sewing artisans in Fukushima Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture turn them into Aloha shirts. many preschools in Miyagi were swept away by the tsunami at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Samurai ALOHA established the upcycling system to provide moms, who had become unable to go to work, with jobs that could be done at home. The brand name, Samurai ALOHA, represents the indomitable spirit of samurai and the people of Tohoku striving to restore their hometowns.

So, what exactly got them to use kimonos to make Aloha shirts? Actually, the origin of Aloha shirts has a strong connection with Japanese kimono. Generally, Aloha shirts are associated with tropical countries due to their design, for example, botanical motifs. It is said to be first created when kimono and yukata that Japanese immigrants took with them to Hawaii became old and when they used the waste cloth to make a type of work clothing called “Palaka” that had been worn at local farms. Samurai ALOHA is bringing the Aloha shirts, which were originally made with Japanese kimono, back to life in Tohoku and offering them to the world.

Since they use vintage kimono, most of the products are a one of a kind. It’s fun to look for designs and materials that fit one’s taste. In addition to Aloha shirts, they also offer hoodies, T-shirts, pillows, and neckties made with kimono fabric, as well as jackets with linings made with kimono fabric.

Samurai ALOHA breathes new life into kimono that have been left unused. It has also been receiving many orders from outside Japan. Moreover, their products will become available for a limited time from this February at Fa-So-La TAX FREE AKIHABARA+ in Narita Airport Terminal 2. It will end at the end of March, so go check them out now if you are interested.

■DATA ▼Samurai ALOHA Official website: https://www.samurai-aloha.com/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/samurai_aloha/?hl=ja Online Store:https://samuraialoha.thebase.in/ ▼Fa-So-La TAX FREE AKIHABARA+ Narita Airport Terminal 2, 3rd Floor, Narita 5th Avenue(Area Beyond Outbound Passport Control) Opening hours: 7:00～22:00 (Information as of February 2024.)

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