erihide
Tradition and comfort
Kyoto-based company founded in 1961 that designs, produces and sells traditional kimono-related wear. Their accessories look to respect traditions while offering a new level of comfort to anyone willing to wear a kimono.
Since their founding, Erihide's purpose has been to make kimonos more suitable for frequent use without compromising the high quality that characterizes it. Well aware that opting exclusively for cheap materials and manufacture would have put quality, traditions and craftsmanship at risk, Erihide made it their purpose to provide ways to wear a kimono without the inconvenience. Since then, their most prominent product is a beautifully decorated kimono collar (called eri), which can be detached from the undergarment. This allows the wearer not only to wash it separately from the undergarment itself, but also to own a large number of collars to change according to the occasion, the season, or the mood, without clugging their wardrobe with accessories.
This led to a new level of comfort and made the collar so popular, the company was nicknamed Eri no Erihide (lit. 'the Erihide that makes collars'), a nickname they gladly use even today.
From design to distribution
To ensure quality and authenticity, Erihide directly handles all stages of production starting from product design. Besides hosting in-house craftsmen, they also assign works to other artisans. This way, they know that all their products are made by the most skilled craftsmen available.
Materials, colors, shapes and sizes are carefully chosen in respect of the kimono traditions, while also keeping an eye on creativity, national and international trends, and a bit of playfulness. Some of their products also feature traditional themes (such as the world-famous Fujin and Raijin) in new ways, for example on the thongs of their geta footwear.
Despite offering a limited amount of products made using synthetic fabrics, most items in Erihide's catalogue are made using traditional materials and techniques, such as silk in their yuzen-dyed Crane shawl, or horse hair in their leather bag.
Long-time relationships with artisans
Erihide has been working with local artisans since its start, and also relies on in-house artisans, especially for the making of their footwear. This versatile approach allows them to always rely on the best artisans available, and provides the freedom necessary to renovate their catalogue whenever necessary, or to create traditional products with a modern feel. It also leaves room for customization: 'As long as the artisan can make the desired fabric or material in the desired color, we can produce it.'
Their stock ranges from single pieces to dozens of virtually identical items.
KiGinKin selects the most attractive products by Erihide that are fully hand made, which causes the KiGinKin available stock to usually be between 1 and 5 pieces.