Today, 3rd March, is Hinamatsuri in Japan — also known as Girls’ Day.
Traditionally, families display ornamental dolls dressed in Heian-era court clothing and pray for the health and happiness of their daughters. It is a quiet, elegant celebration rooted in care, protection, and the passing down of culture.
Many of the garments I work with — kimono, furisode, haori — carry that same sense of occasion. They were not made for haste. They were made to be kept, worn with intention, and remembered.
Hinamatsuri is often associated with young girls in colourful furisode, the long-sleeved kimono historically worn by unmarried women. (Historical note: while furisode became associated with unmarried women over time, practices have varied by era and region.)
What moves me most about this day is the idea of preservation. Objects carefully stored. Fabrics protected. Beauty maintained across generations.
Working with vintage Japanese garments in the UK, I often think about that continuity — how something once worn for a meaningful moment can find new life in a completely different place.
Today feels like a reminder that clothing can carry memory, not just style.