A kimono is a kimono no matter how you wear itオーストラリアの着物スタイリスト、Sala Okabeさん

オーストラリア・メルボルンを拠点に活躍する着物スタイリストの Sala Okabeさん。「着物は特別なもの」という固定観念を覆し、より身近で自由に楽しめる存在へと生まれ変わらせた。その独創的でオープンなアプローチは、国内外の着物愛好家を魅了している。

Sala Okabe is a kimono stylist based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the epitome of Steve Jobs’s famous phrase that the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who end up doing so. Through her styling work, Okabe has blown a hole in the heavily traditional world of the Japanese kimono and changed it to something more accessible, casual and just plain fun.

In Sala Okabe’s world, the kimono often takes just 10 minutes to don and is comfortable enough to wear every day. “I feel that the Japanese are losing sight of the beauty and inherent functionality of their native dress,” says Okabe from her office in Melbourne. “The Australians are more attuned to the kimono’s attractiveness and willing to enjoy them, just as they would do with coats and jackets. I often think how wonderful it would be if more Japanese thought of kimono like a bathrobe or a long jacket.”

Okabe’s Melbourne kimono salon is hugely popular and she says that the more she explains the kimono in English, the more adept she becomes at the language. “When I was 20 years old, I attended a language school in England and got some English skills. Years later, I accompanied my husband to Australia when he was stationed there. Since he had no language skills, it was up to me to secure housing, set up utilities, take the kids to kindergarten, etc. My English just got better and better.”

Okabe’s creative, open-minded approach to kimono styling has captivated the hearts of kimono lovers both in Japan and abroad. Will we in Japan soon be wearing kimono like we wear skirts and shirts? “I feel that many would love to wear it if only the kimono were not so difficult to put on and maintain. Still, many kimono stylists and creators in Japan are coming out with new, more accessible kimono that are easier to wear and maintain. The snag is, few Japanese know about them unless they’re already kimono fans, while overseas fans are well aware of the updated styles.”

When Okabe decided to become a kimono stylist, she returned to Japan temporarily to train herself in kimono styling and to study the garment in earnest. “Before World War II, the kimono was daily wear. After the war, it was largely forgotten until the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.” Okabe explains that this was when kimono schools went up all over Japan, making wearing kimono a ceremonious affair taking over an hour. “Because I myself love the kimono, I want people to know more about it, to wear it and to love it. The kimono really draws out the beauty of the Japanese.”

“I didn’t always love the kimono,” says Okabe. “In fact, in my younger days when I was living in Japan, I wasn’t interested in kimono at all. I loved clothing and fashion though, and had a lot of items in my closet.”

Fashionista that she was, Okabe started to analyze her wardrobe and then it dawned on her that Western garments didn’t really suit the Japanese female physique. The average Japanese female body was flat, short-limbed and long-waisted. They looked wonderful in kimono but not so great in suits and dresses. “It was around this time that I took my backpack and traveled through India. I was struck by how beautiful the women in India looked in their sari. Native dress is so cool, I thought. And at that moment, I began to love the kimono.”

There and then, the needle jumped from zero to max. Upon her return to Japan, Okabe turned all her attention to kimono ? looking at them, wearing them and helping her friends put them on for special occasions. “I thought it strange that most women cannot wear the kimono by themselves. The kimono is probably the only native dress in the world that requires schools and professional assistance to wear. But take that away and a whole other world of kimono opens up. I learned that in Australia.” (Kaori Shoji)

Words to live by