Hello, and thank you for stopping by.
I’m not the best at writing in 3rd person so here is an open letter (long read) of my kimono journey. By the Grace of God, He alone has taken me on an interesting journey which I continue to love year on year.
I will be adding the page update dates the bottom so that anyone that’s read it before can easily see when an update was added. There’s even a gallery after the sign off of you’re truly.
When I was in secondary school I used to love watching anime and next thing you know, I fell in love with NHK Taiga dramas. I’ve always been into Chinese costume dramas but the simplicity of kimono drew. I wanted to be that poised and elegant especially when they wore formal kimono.
In 2009 bought my 1st kimono and attended a kimono meetup. From that one experience I learnt a lot about how much I hated shiney synthetic awase kimono as I burned!! I used to wake up at 1-2am to bid on kimono on ebay when they used to start at $0.99.
It never bothered me how people saw me when I wore them mainly because I grew up in church where public speaking is a must. Looking back now, it made me enjoy kimono to the fullest even though my kitsuke was horrid.
Once I started uni I practiced kitsuke on friends for events and days out. During this time I learnt how to make my own accessories with the help from global kimono friends as they provided more practical solutions. This is when I found what I loved the most about kimono, I was introduced to the world of Mamechiyo. Everything about their aesthetic just wowed me and I most definitely wanted to be that bold, Uber Dandy Kimono was born at Hyper Japan.
Uber, German word, super, above, very, extreme, As much as I love the word itself I still think choosing it was very daring of me. From time to time I contemplate on changing it as I feel like I can’t work to the expectations of the word. Dandy, as you’ve seen, I love fashion and what better word to describe my eclectic style and I do feel like a boss when wearing kimono. Kimono, at the end of the day a kimono is not my cultural attire but I wear it with great love and respect,
For the brand colours, they remind me of my childhood. Out of all the primary colours it always stood out to me the most, it can be bold or warm and never ceases to catch my eye. Purple, I like purple socks and as a colour if black or yellow wasn’t available I would settle for purple. Black, I’m black, most of my clothes and all underwear are black and I love being black. I would like to be addressed Black or African o and if you must, point at me but never as POC or coloured.
When I moved to Oxford I was very keen on improving my photography, styling and sewing skills. To do this, I started collaborating with local creatives and had my 1st magazine publication. On the side I ventured onto fashion and beauty editorials to gain experience creative directing. I’m on the most creatively vocal of people but I learnt the importance of team effort in collaborations. This landed me a collaboration gig with ARRI which still remains one of my greatest accomplishments.
Through kimono I have met many wonderful people, I’ve flown in one several times to meetups wearing them without issues at security desks. Held 2 fashion shows with Oxford Brookes uni which were a lot of hassle but I had great support from my school friends being there. The workshops I held for the uni’s Japanese society was oddly always attended by Japanese people. Not that i mind but still found it bizarreeee, very bizarre, as the home students didn’t have a slight interest in the cultural aspect of the society.
On Saturdays, I had a pitch at the Gloucester Green Market here in Oxford which I enjoyed very much as I could parade around in kimono and meet all sorts of people. Unfortunately, this was a short lived experience due to the Great British Weather but one of the dealers kindly forwarded me to Antiques On High where I’m now based.
I’m still over the moon that I’m at AOH, it’s open 7 days a week and all the dealers are incredibly experienced. The shop itself is truly a marvelous arcade. Every season we host Antiques Road Show and have visitors from all over the globe due to the shop’s reputation. I have rails in both Sidmouth. Whenever I’m at the shop I wear mostly traditional kimono and kitsuke as I want to carry on promoting the beauty of their elegance. In 2019 alone, I managed to wear over 55 kimono ensembles, which makes the total nearly more than the previous 9 years together.
The collections idea of using African prints is not a new one however like every designer I wanted to make it personal. As I’ve always been inspired by my kimono friends, avant garde fashion and tribal cultures, I wanted to incorporate all the elements. I honestly don’t have anything more profound or creative to say about them. Select items from the collections are available for purchase at in the online shop.
You know, one of the things I find most amusing, I’ve neverrrrrr wanted to own a business or be at a managing position. I really do have to thank all my friends for the support and always having reliable assistants over the years. Sometimes I feel like I should put more effort into it but my lazy self always reminds me that I gotta work at the pace I most enjoy.
My biggest regret was/is not being able to afford the kimono I wanted, I still dream about the beautiful furisode and noh mask kimono that went for much much more than i could afford. I personally don’t think my style has changed much as its always been eclectic but my kitsuke definitely has. I’m still cheap AF but I wear it better now as I’ve found the best way to wear kimono comfortably and neater. Below are some of my fav looks I could find.
Update 28.05.23
2021 had to have been the highlight of my kimono career, from the African Print series, it brought forth 2 exhibitions and a book contribution. In all honesty, the vast majority of the time I don’t do much with the brand but when do, I pour my entire soul. Having a solo exhibition in New York with Globus Washitsu was a very humbling experience. To be in the same space as other Japanese kimono designers that I have long looked up, it really made me feel like my hard work paid off.
While I enjoyed the creative aspect of the African prints, they are not as sustainable as I would like. The Lye Valley collection returned me to my beloved roots of kimono motifs. It’s a sustainable and made to order couture collection that caters for those that love Japanese kimono but would like them in western wear or something more practical.
Uber Dandy Kimono is my one and only baby, it’s constantly evolving along with me as I grow as person and designer. At the moment I’m just working on patterns to be able to cater to all body shapes and increasing my social media. We all know that I don’t post often enough but hoping with the more sewing I do the more you’ll get to hear from me.
Warm Regards,
Tia Oguri
