Emi is a housewife with two small children. She is in the 35-44 year old age group. She started wearing kimono 16 years ago, when she was 21 and went into a kimono store to buy yukata underwear. She was shown some kimono and then she liked and ordered one. She was a single working woman at that time, and she was not exposed to kimono in her environment. She bought all her kimono from the same store in Saitama, which she trusts and has a good relationship with. She had to take out loans for eight years to pay for her kimono, but paid everything off by the time she got married. Her collection is comprised of 12 kimono, mostly from the same shop. She has a homongi for ceremonies, a tsukesage for weddings, and several interesting tsumugi and komon kimono. Some of them are unusual types such as kanpouzome, yasanshi (tussar silk) and one that is dyed by a hanko style wood block. She is very interested in collecting these kimono made from unusual techniques. She has made a small file which contains the ends of the kimono cloth in it, and also small articles or information about the techniques by which the kimono were made. She has one polyester kimono given to her by her mother to use for practice, and two yukata. She is not interested in getting more kimono, but rather in making more opportunities to wear the kimono that she has already bought.
恵美さんは２人の小さい子供がいる主婦、３５−４４歳の年齢のグループです。埼玉県で生まれ育ちました。２１歳の時、浴衣の下着を買うために入った着物の店でいくつかの着物を見せてもらった中で、小紋の着物が気に入り仕立てることにしました。それまでは着物と縁がありませんでしたが、これが着物を着始めるきっかけになりました。浴衣の着方はお母様から習いましたが、着物の着方は本から学びました。その時は独身で仕事をしていたので同じ店でさらにお仕立てをお願いするようになり、８年間のローンを組みましたが結婚する前に全部支払い終えました。全部で１２枚着物を持っていますがほとんどの着物は信頼している同じ店から購入したものです。訪問着と付け下げが１枚ずつ、あとは小紋と紬です。珍しい技法で作られる着物にとても興味があり、漢方染めや野蚕糸、木版染めなどの着物も作りました。それらの反物の端切れや技法の解説などをまとめた小さいファイルを作っています。
市販のポリの着物も１枚あり、これはお母さんから練習用に、と譲り受けました。今は新しいものを購入するより、持っている着物を着る機会を増やすほうに興味があります。
The Kimono Closet 