The workshop finally started at MIMOCA. Participants gathered after their work wearing a piece of clothing or multiple pieces that has or have a special emotional meaning to each.
Asuna
Asuna is wearing a yukata (an informal cotton kimono) and a red obi (a belt). Her mother presented it to her last year. It was made to fit her. It reminds her of her grandmother who gave many kimono and yukata to Asuna's mother.
Kayo
Kayo's culottes are hand-me-downs from her mother. She has a photo of her mother wearing the culottes during her younger days holding Kayo as a baby in her arm. Kayo also treasures another photo that her grandmother and she herself wearing the culottes are in together.
Mariko
Mariko chose yukata, too. She teased her mother for it when she was a high school student, because she loved it at first sight. Mother recommended another one, but she never changed her opinion. It was her first experience that she insisted on her own taste in clothes.
Tomoko
When Tomoko was in her early twenties, her older friend presented this T-shirt to her as a souvenir from Paris. At that time, she worked hard everyday as an assistant at a laboratory researching Nerine japonica (red spider lily) that was printed on the T-shirt. She felt the warmth of her friend through this. She wears it only once a year when she feels comfortable, because she treats it very much.
Emiko
Emiko brought three garments. A vest having horizontal stripes of various colors and a long-sleeved T-shirt having yellow and gray stripes. She bought them because she liked the color arrangement. And a pair of brown pants, she liked the shape on sight. Her decisions to buy are very quick because she rarely meet garments that she likes its design.
Junko
Junko chooses this hanten (traditional Japanese style short coat) as a garment that she wants to least discard. Four years ago, she lived alone and she had trouble with her room being too cold. Her grandmother sent it to her at that time. It is made of overall tie-dyed fabric. She remembered that her grandma wore similar one for decades. Then, she understood that this was valuable and longwearing. She always feels at ease when she wears it.
Nozomi
Nozomi bought this red long coat with all the money she saved up from working part-time for the first time when she was sixteen years old. Through that, she started buying her clothes by herself.
Kiyoko
Rie
Twenty-seven years ago, Rie's father gave this blue suit to her. He bought it at Osaka. It was the first and last clothes that he presented to his daughter. She remembers that she took walking training as an attendant at the exposition wearing this suit. She has not worn it for long time, but she can not discard it.
Keiko
Keiko bought this blouse because she liked combination of gray and brown. But she wore it only two times. Some people around her said that it was showy and she concerned about their words, and then, she could not wear it. "Look closely, the pattern is big," she thought. This time, she wants to ask other participants whether it is showy or not.
Sawako
Last year, Sawako went on a trip to Asian countries. She bought this tank top at Chiangmai. When she found it in the shopwindow for the first time, she could not go into the shop. But on the way back from bazaar, in excitement, she could go and bought it. Shop staff welcomed and invited her at tea. She gets energetic when she looks at this tank top. There are many good memories in it.