ON THE TOPIC OF MATERIAL COMPOSITION
ON THE TOPIC OF MATERIAL COMPOSITION
Antique and vintage Kimono and Haori do not have material composition labels. Material composition labels were a development that came with mass market clothing and as such when kimono are newly tailored, the final product is made to the original client's specification. Today however, ready-made products including kimono and yukata are also sold at major retail stores.
When you tailor your kimono in traditional way, you select a kimono fabric and tailor to your size.
Composition of the fabric is ONLY indicated on the fabric. Composition of fabric information was not traditionally provided in tailored kimono and even today kimono tailors do not generally include it in the garment.
In addition, most kimonos are tailored by hand. Kimonos are tailored by a special sewing professional called a "wasai-shi" (Japanese tailor or seamstress).
During the high-growth period in the countryside where I live, there were many people who tailored kimono during the winter months at the request of patrons in Tokyo or Kyoto while working during the day as a farmer. Today, that demand has decreased, and there are very few people still working as kimono seamstresses. I am active as a licensed antique art dealer. And I am a kimono geek. Compositional judgments of vintage kimonos are not 100% accurate unless they are submitted to an inspection agency that can perform tests on the fabrics to determine their composition. I myself have a career as an upcycling artist. I have experimented with washing kimonos at home, and with burning fabrics and threads to determine their combustion reactions. If I am confident that the item is made of silk based on the assumed age of production and judgment of the fabric quality, I label it as 100% silk.
However, there are some very rare cases in which silk is used for the warp and synthetic fiber for the weft. This is not only the case with modern products, but also occasionally with older products in which synthetic fibers were first made available. There are also some modern products that are made of synthetic fibers that do not differ from very elaborate silk. For those that I have concerns about, I burn the threads and other materials to make a judgment, but without sophisticated test equipment, it is difficult to make an 100% accurate assessment judgment. For those that I am unsure about, I use the notation "silk & more". I take care in making these judgments based largely on my own experience, but cannot guarantee the accuracy beyond all doubt.
If you have a deep desire to determine the material composition I would recommend seeking out the services of a fabric testing lab near you.
Thank you for your understanding.
Antique and vintage Kimono and Haori do not have material composition labels. Material composition labels were a development that came with mass market clothing and as such when kimono are newly tailored, the final product is made to the original client's specification. Today however, ready-made products including kimono and yukata are also sold at major retail stores.
When you tailor your kimono in traditional way, you select a kimono fabric and tailor to your size.
Composition of the fabric is ONLY indicated on the fabric. Composition of fabric information was not traditionally provided in tailored kimono and even today kimono tailors do not generally include it in the garment.
In addition, most kimonos are tailored by hand. Kimonos are tailored by a special sewing professional called a "wasai-shi" (Japanese tailor or seamstress).
During the high-growth period in the countryside where I live, there were many people who tailored kimono during the winter months at the request of patrons in Tokyo or Kyoto while working during the day as a farmer. Today, that demand has decreased, and there are very few people still working as kimono seamstresses. I am active as a licensed antique art dealer. And I am a kimono geek. Compositional judgments of vintage kimonos are not 100% accurate unless they are submitted to an inspection agency that can perform tests on the fabrics to determine their composition. I myself have a career as an upcycling artist. I have experimented with washing kimonos at home, and with burning fabrics and threads to determine their combustion reactions. If I am confident that the item is made of silk based on the assumed age of production and judgment of the fabric quality, I label it as 100% silk.
However, there are some very rare cases in which silk is used for the warp and synthetic fiber for the weft. This is not only the case with modern products, but also occasionally with older products in which synthetic fibers were first made available. There are also some modern products that are made of synthetic fibers that do not differ from very elaborate silk. For those that I have concerns about, I burn the threads and other materials to make a judgment, but without sophisticated test equipment, it is difficult to make an 100% accurate assessment judgment. For those that I am unsure about, I use the notation "silk & more". I take care in making these judgments based largely on my own experience, but cannot guarantee the accuracy beyond all doubt.
If you have a deep desire to determine the material composition I would recommend seeking out the services of a fabric testing lab near you.
Thank you for your understanding.