This wedding kimono from the textile collection was exhibited in the Left Bank Gallery in Greymouth in 2023.
As regular readers of the blog will know, there is a collection of Japanese garments upstairs in the Regent Theatre in Māwhera Greymouth.
The garments were brought into the collection a few years ago and came direct from Japan. They have all been worn and are various ages. There are children’s jackets, long kimono, shorter jackets or women, and some menswear, two of which have linings that have hand-painted scenes on them.
At the moment the Japanese garments are being researched for an entry on the textile collection section of the GlobalYell website. The collection online is small at the moment but it is growing, thanks to our friend in Canada, Karen, who is undertaking the research and writing the text for the pieces.
In preparation for the next season’s window display in this studio – the current one is “bush shirts” – a set of digital photographs of some of the Japanese garments went overseas to be researched. One of the vital pieces of information in taking those photographs is to include any labels or identifying marks in the garments but, aside from one piece that has red characters stitched to the inside of the back collar, there seemed to be nothing to mark who made these items.
This morning an email exchange revealed that Japanese makers reveal their identity subtly. They may use embroidery on the lining, or a particular seam. Another inspection of the pieces in the collection has revealed that, while most of the garments appear not to have any distinguishing features, one has a zigzag stitch on the lining. Perhaps this is a maker’s mark?
There is so much to learn from having this collection and working with a researcher to understand it better. Who knows what might turn up next!
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