MA -Negative space-

My grandmother was a kimono sewing designer, so I’ve seen many kimono clothes at home since I was little. There was a pattern with so many beautiful flowers drawn on one kimono, dyed or embroidered. I was very impressed with them. And what especially interested me was how beautifully and meticulously the kimono’s design was laid out.
Later, when I learned Ikebana, I was also very interested in “ma.” It means emptiness and silence in Japanese, and it is a symbolic concept about how the Japanese grasp space and time. In Ikebana, you have to pay attention to the space in which the arrangements are placed. The result is quite different from that of a so-called “flower arrangement,” in which the look of the space isn’t considered. In Ikebana, flowers also represent heaven, earth, and man, which should be arranged in a proper balance. Then, flowers and plants in Ikebana represent human life and express its beauty and venerableness. Through this work, I wanted to express the philosophy of Ikebana with Kimono. I tried to display how to take the “space” mentioned above while discussing with the photographer many times.
I was in charge of direction and styling. I am grateful to the team members and clothing brands for their cooperation.