Breast Cancer Awareness and Kimono Robes

You juggle everything in your life. From work to home to kids to community, you’re the engine that keeps everything running. So when something suddenly happens, like receiving a cancer diagnosis or scare, it can feel like your whole world is spinning out of control. Suddenly, the person who cares for everyone else needs care. And that can feel like a daunting thing to accept. Knowing that you have to slow down to deal with your health can feel, at first, almost impossible. It can feel uncomfortable and foreign. It can feel unwanted, and perhaps you’d even rather stay busy to take your mind off your health.

At KIM+ONO, we get it. Our team has had our own ups and downs when it comes to health. But instead of keeping that out of the business, we’ve decided to bring it into the business. That’s because transparency and authenticity are two of our guiding principles. And those two principles connect us to you. We understand what you go through when you get a diagnosis because we’ve gotten them, too. And that’s why we are teaming up with the American Cancer Society this October to bring a little luxury and a sense of comfort to women who are battling the unknown and deserving of a little extra care.

According to breastcancer.org, about one in eight U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. This year, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. That means that chances are you know someone who has or will battle the disease. But what does that have to do with women’s kimono robes?

By now, you’ve probably seen a blog post or Instagram story about our two co-founders, sisters Renee and Tiffany Tam. They are the engine behind KIM+ONO from operations and production to creativity and design. So when Tiffany found lumps in both sides of her breasts, it was such a scary and stressful time. 

She says, “I felt my whole world spiraling out of control. As I sat in the hospital room awaiting my test results, stress and fear consumed me. I was wearing a crusty cotton gown over my body, and the thought that I could lose both of my breasts, made me feel alone and stripped of my identity. I wanted so badly to feel like myself again… it wouldn’t eliminate my pain but wrapping myself in a kimono robe would have at least brought me a sense of comfort and femininity.”

Tiffany goes on to say, “The depth of sadness felt by women going through this experience is so real, so raw. If I can help uplift you during this process, even just a little bit, then that is my mission. This has strengthened our vision of being more than just a kimono company. Our mission is to help make more women like you feel how you truly are — strong and beautiful.”

Because of Tiffany’s very personal experience, she was inspired to give back in a way she hoped would be impactful in women’s lives at the moment when they need the most tenderness and care: during their treatments. So KIM+ONO teamed up with the American Cancer Society to donate over 500 kimono robes and bring a little kimono fashion to women going through treatment for breast cancer. The hope is to bring some ease, femininity, and comfort to a time that can feel overwhelming.

Whether you’re going through your own health scare and could use a breast cancer recovery robe or feeling like you could use a little extra softness in general, we hope to bring that sense of wellbeing to you through our women’s kimono robes. Our hope is that if you pick up a long sleeve floral kimono robe, with its silky texture and delicate flowers, you may just be transported to a gentler, more tender moment. Kimono fashion can of course be a beautiful way to bring your sense of style out to play at an event, a date, or even at the office. But whether you’re wearing our pieces out on the town or at home to relax and unwind, our mission is always to bring you into the present moment with a sense of ease and beauty.

We’ve chosen the softest silks and the smoothest charmeuse blends to lead off our signature collections. This light blue kimono robe brings both style and comfort to the wearer for an elevation to your everyday. It’s the little touches that make the biggest impact in your life, and the more we can bring beautiful textures and serene designs to your world, the gentler we believe it becomes.

We know that for many women, the idea of taking care of themselves usually doesn’t come to the forefront of their minds until it has to. But at KIM+ONO, we strive to think about you, the modern woman who does so much, all the time. We are grateful for the community we’ve created both online and offline, and all the ways you bring your strength and beauty to it. To us, you are a work of art. We are always looking for ways to give back and be the most impactful, whether it’s creating a design that brings beauty to your day or partnering with the American Cancer Society to make breast cancer treatments for women in San Francisco just a tiny bit easier. We hope that everything we do reflects the gratitude we feel for our customers, our community, and our health.

Stay tuned on our VIP list and through our Instagram feed for future collaborations like this one with the American Cancer Society as we look to give back in ways that our meaningful and close to our hearts. And, no matter where you’re finding yourself today, we hope you’ll wrap yourself in luxury, and be well.