‘Your Name’ is Bringing Back an Awesome Japanese Fashion Trend
By Ryan General
Due to the enormous popularity of the anime masterpiece “Your Name”, an old Japanese handicraft tradition is making a fashionable comeback.
The romantic fantasy drama film, originally titled “Kimi no Na wa”, may have become a massive global hit, but its impact on the Japanese audience has been extra special.
So far, its success at home has birthed its own official tour supported by the Japanese government’s Cool Japan Initiative, several themed cafes, and an assortment of merchandise featuring the characters Mitsuha and Taki.
Interest in the traditional Japanese braids handicraft called “kumihimo”, a specially braided cord, has grown significantly after the characters were seen wearing them throughout the film, RocketNews24 reports.
Historically, the kumihimo was worn as both a functional and decorative accessory that made up a traditional samurai warrior’s armor. In modern times, the kumihimo has been used mostly as a fashionable fasteners on the jackets worn over a kimono called the haori. They are also worn with the kimono sash called obi.
In modern times, the kumihimo have been used mostly as fashionable fasteners on the jackets worn over a kimono called the haori. They are also worn with the kimono sash called obi.
Mitsuha, the protagonist high school girl in the film, used red kumihimo as a fashion accessory to tie her hair. Taki, the male lead, wore a kumihimo on his wrist as a bracelet.
Since the film’s release, commercially-made kumihimo have been flying off the shelves as Japanese youth can’t get enough of them. Many buy them as fashion accessories while there are couples who buy them as special bonding mementos.
Although the process in making the kumihimo is quite intricate and challenging, there are those who prefer to make their own. If you want to give it a go, here’s a tutorial:
Western audiences will get to view the film when it hits North American theaters on April 7.
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