T-Kimono

T-Kimono began as an experiment in translation: how could one of Japan’s most codified garments be re-imagined as a modern staple in every man’s wardrobe without stripping it of meaning?

Rather than treating the kimono as novelty, the project approaches it as a living design system—one that can evolve through use, material, and proportion.

T-Michael serves as co-founder, creative director, and conceptual lead. His role is to shape the design language of T-Kimono—bridging traditional tailoring sensibilities with traditional Japanese construction principles.

Through research, form exploration, and visual direction, he frames the T-Kimono as both a cultural artifact and wearable object.

The T-Kimono preserves the structural logic of the traditional kimono while introducing calibrations that support everyday wear. Materials are selected with attention to durability and tactility—drawing from historical textiles and modern fabric innovation. Resulting in a traditional garment with contemporary aesthetics.

Historically, the kimono encodes season, status, and craft through fabric, pattern, and construction. T-Kimono engages with this richness by positioning the garment within global menswear while retaining its internal logic.

The project does not fossilise heritage, but allows it to evolve through continued wear. This results in the T-Kimono functioning as a bridge to the traditional bespoke kimono.

Since its debut at Pitti Uomo, T-Kimono has received international recognition for its conceptual clarity and design integrity.

In 2017, the project was awarded Best Product Design by Time Out Magazine Japan.

The T-Kimono is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent kimono collection and has been exhibited at institutions including the Museum Rietberg in Zurich. The project is also featured in the V&A publication Fashioning Masculinities. The T-Kimono is also part of the permanent collection of the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum in Norway.