On a Journey from East to East
Kimono by Global Art Daily (GAD) started when Sophie Mayuko Arni, GAD's founder, came across archives of unworn, second-hand kimonos at her mother's hometown in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. These were silk treasures: all handmade, hand-embroidered, stitched to perfection. She immediately thought to bring them to her second home of Dubai, UAE.
By recontextualizing them to the UAE, kimonos take on the form of the popular abaya and fall into a sustainable, quality-focused, and colorful form of modest wear.
As such, Kimono by GAD aims to inject new life into finely-crafted Japanese silk kimonos, and continue to create cross-cultural dialogues between the UAE and Japan. Our goal is to celebrate femininity and craftsmanship across continents.
As part of Global Art Daily's umbrella, the brand's goal is to cross-pollinate and collaborate with artistic talent. Each drop and each pop-up will feature collaborations with Dubai-based photographers, cultural entrepreneurs, and artists interested to fuse Japanese and Emirati cultures.
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