【Event Info & Interview】 Mikan Sewing Workshops Spring 2021 in Kyoto

This April, Mikan invites you to join one of her Sewing Workshops in Kyoto.
Mikan is a bags and accessories label, specialized in the upcycling of antique Japanese kimono textiles.
Clémentine Sandner, the founder and designer of the brand, is a Japan-based French fashion designer. She is genuinely fascinated by the Japanese traditional fabrics. With a real passion for upcycling, she turns them into new pieces which are adapted for today's lifestyle, with well-conceived functionality and design.
She is also sharing her bag-making skills with the public by organizing sewing workshops, or by providing DIY kits, aiming to share more of her ecological consciousness.

In this workshop, you will choose your favorite pattern from the kimono fabrics Clémentine selected, and learn how to transform it into an origami clutch or a bumbag (2 of Mikan's most popular designs). This class is open to beginners as well as those with advanced sewing skills. If you don’t have any sewing experience, Clémentine will guide you through the basics. (You can find more information about the workshop at the end of the article)

<↑Model "bumbag" >

<↑Model "origami clutch" >

I asked Clémentine to tell us more about this exciting workshop series starting this week-end:

Q: What is the purpose of your workshop?
C: The idea is to give people the confidence to sew by learning how to make a bag. Even if people don't have any sewing experience, people don't find it too difficult, and they will be able to do it again with their favorite fabrics.

Q:Doesn't teaching workshops take too much time away from your business?
C: No, I don't think that's a problem at all. Basically, the people who visit the Mikan Shop are looking for something different from the people who attend our workshops. Those who purchase my bags are looking for high quality items, such as unique pieces, made by a professional. Those who come to the workshops are people are interested to learn new skills and create something themselves.

Q: During your workshops in Australia, you collaborated with an association which offers refugees an education in design and sewing, to help them gain financial independence. Did this experience develop your ideas for sharing DIY skills?
C: It was a good experience, but the ideas came much earlier. Rather, It's more related to my experience as a teacher at a fashion school. I think it's very important to pass on my skills so that people can learn, and they can also create something new from it! I also think that when you see the making process behind a product, you are more aware of what you buy as a consumer.

Q: How does DIY relate to your consciousness of environmental issues?
C: I've always been conscious of the environment, and as part of our upcycling activities, offering DIY experiences, and teaching workshops in different countries was my main activity before COVID-19. That's why, I started to offer kits in my store, as an alternative to workshops which had been cancelled because of the pandemic. However, I had a much better reaction than I had expected. It coincided with a time when people were looking for activities at home, and I was contacted by new overseas customers I had never had before, such as Finland. To respond to their interest , I also released a tutorial video to help them make the bag. I hope that people will be able to upcycle their old and beloved fabrics too.

At the end of the interview, I realized that the purpose of the workshop is not only about her brand, Clémentine also hopes to share her skills and experience with others. It moved me a lot.
I am also interested in the environment and sustainability as a writer and as an individual and will continue to share events or people engaged in eco-friendly actions in this blog.

Information : Mikan Sewing Workshops Spring 2021 in Kyoto 

📅 Date:
10:00-14:00
April 10,11,17,18,24&25

✂️Price:
7000 Yen, all material included

📍Location:
Yadoya Hiraiwa
314 Hayaocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8114
宿や平岩
〒600-8114 京都市下京区早尾町314

📝Reservation:
Up to 4 participants max. (6 if you book as a group)
Please make a reservation from the site below to save your spot!
www.mikanbags.com

Mikan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikan_bags/