Journal

Getting Ready for Production
Getting Ready for Production
Today, I finished preparing a shipment of obi that I sourced in Japan. This time, I also chose some more understated, traditional designs that I hadn’t worked with before. I’m... Read more...
Three Weeks to Go
Three Weeks to Go
With just three weeks to go until Bearded Theory, it’s all about production now. The hoodies and T-shirts I’ll be working on have already arrived, so it’s time to focus... Read more...
A Slow Sunday
A Slow Sunday
I didn’t have a market booked today, so I took the day off. It’s been a while since I had a Sunday like this, and it happened to fall on... Read more...
A warm day at St Nicholas Market
A warm day at St Nicholas Market
Today felt like a proper summer’s day at St Nicholas Market in Bristol. There were already people around from early in the morning, and it stayed busy throughout the day.... Read more...
Four Weeks to Go
Four Weeks to Go
There are now just four weeks to go until Bearded Theory, the first festival of the year. New pieces have been arriving one after another, and it finally feels like... Read more...
Why I Do This
Why I Do This
This weekend at the market, I ended up having a lot of conversations about what I do and why I do it. In Japan, so many kimono are discarded every... Read more...
Samples from India
Samples from India
Today, the samples I’ve been waiting for since December finally arrived from India. It took longer than expected, but it felt good to finally have them here. From here, I’ll... Read more...
Bristol Japanese Cultural Showcase
Bristol Japanese Cultural Showcase
Yesterday I took part in the Bristol Japanese Cultural Showcase, an event that takes place once a year in Bristol. It’s always a special atmosphere, with performances, music, and so... Read more...
New Arrivals from Japan
New Arrivals from Japan
Today a new shipment arrived from Japan. These are pieces I’ve been sourcing for the Japanese cultural event this Sunday, so it felt good to finally have them here. There... Read more...
Japanese Shippo pattern fabric in navy blue prepared for garment production
A Change of Plans
Both today’s market at St Nicholas and tomorrow’s Tobacco Factory have been cancelled due to strong winds. I had arranged to meet a few customers, so it was quite disappointing.... Read more...
A New Fabric with Meaning
A New Fabric with Meaning
Yesterday, I sourced new fabric from Japan for shirts and dresses for next month’s festival. The pattern is called Shippo, a traditional design made of overlapping circles. It represents connection... Read more...
Cold day at Tobacco Factory Market
Cold day at Tobacco Factory Market
Today the clocks changed for daylight saving time. But it didn’t feel like it at all. It was freezing and really windy, more like the middle of winter again. Even... Read more...