|
I am Donna Webster, the Designer and creator of Kimono Collections.
I have lived in Asia for half of my adult life. My
first and most impressionable visit to Asia was to Japan when i was 18.
I was mesmerized by its beauty and its diversity to my place of birth -
Melbourne, Australia. I returned some years later and lived for two
years in a small country town - Ikeda-cho in the Gifu region.
When i left Japan i wanted one beautiful Uchikake
Kimono to hang on my wall. It proved impossible to find, despite my
extensive contacts. Some years later when I was running a boutique tour
company for Japanese Tourists in Noosa Heads, Australia, I was on a
marketing trip and stumbled on one gorgeous wedding Kimono. From there
I began my treasure hunt. This was ten years ago and i have been
collecting ever since.
I have a penchant for stories that need to be told
and for creative endeavours. After returning from several years in
Borneo and Singapore, I decided that the Uchikake Kimonos needed to
have a new life. Although many people admire the full Kimono, few are
able to display it and/or care for it, so they ran the risk of being
locked away or ending their life in a flea market. I experimented with
a few ways of honoring its beauty until i created the 'Kimono Bag'.
My initial creation was rather rough, but dramatic
enough for me to understand the impact it had when and where I carried
it. The Kimono Bag seemed to have a life of its own. No matter which
country I was in, men and women stopped me and wanted to comment on it
or ask where i purchased it. After six months or so, i decided to
pursue perfecting the quality so that i could re-create the Uchikake
into a piece of wearable art that would last a life time.
I wanted to combine truly Australian elements into
the Kimono Bag, so i then spent more than a year trying to find the
right craftsman who would put the time and energy into creating one of
a kind wooden handles to compliment the Kimono Bag. Eventually i found
Jamie Bell and he makes every handle one by one from sustainable timber.
I love both the business and the design elements of
Kimono Collections. I have a performing arts beginning and an
international business cache of experience. In recent years I have
re-defined the structure of my approach to life so I am able to spend
time truly evolving the essence of what i choose to do, rather than
skimming the surface of a corporate life.
Kimono Collections is very boutique, very rare and
very much for like minded women. I am excited to know more about each
woman's experience of her Kimono Collections handbag, I look forward to
hearing from you in my guest book.
My best wishes,
Donna
|
