People have dressed themselves with symbolism for as long as they have dressed themselves at all. Before fashion was an industry, before clothing was a market, it was an expression. What you wore told a story about who you were, what you believed, and what you hoped to be. That instinct for self-expression has not gone anywhere. But it has been drowned out by the speed of fast production and trend cycles telling you what to buy instead of inviting you to find out for yourself what feels most like you.
At KIM+ONO, symbolism is not a nice-to-have, but rather part of every piece. Every motif we work with comes from a tradition of meaning that stretches back centuries across Chinese and Japanese art and textile culture. When sisters and co-founders Renee and Tiffany Tam design a collection, their choice of symbolism is never arbitrary. It is one of the first decisions, not an afterthought. What will this piece say? What will it make the woman wearing it feel?
Japanese botanical symbolism runs through everything we make, and understanding kimono symbols and their meanings is one of the most rewarding ways to choose a piece that actually belongs to your life right now. These are the four at the heart of our collections, and the moments we think each one belongs to.
Photo by @mariacalderon.art
The Cherry Blossom: For the Woman Who is Beginning
The meaning of cherry blossom in Japanese culture is rooted in a concept called mono no aware, the bittersweet awareness of impermanence. The cherry blossom blooms for a matter of days. It is most itself at the very moment it is also most temporary. That is not a sad observation. It is an invitation to be fully present for what is happening right now, because it will not look exactly like this again.
Cherry blossoms symbolism makes this the right motif for renewal: the end of something that needed to end, the beginning of something that has not yet taken shape, the in-between space that feels uncertain but is also, if you’re willing to stay curious, full of possibility. Perhaps a divorce finalized, or you made a move to a new city. You made a career change that felt terrifying and aligned in equal measure. One chapter closes and the next one is not yet written — it’s a time for the cherry blossom.
Our Handpainted Cherry Blossom Long Kimono Robe is one of the pieces we are most asked about, and we think it is because the symbol does something for the person wearing it. It does not ask her to be okay with the uncertainty. It just reminds her that beauty and impermanence are not opposites. They are the same thing.
Photo by Ashley Streff
The Lotus: For the Woman Doing the Deeper Work
The lotus grows in murky water. That metaphor is a salient one – it’s simply what the plant does. It pushes up through mud and low light and emerges clean, open, oriented toward the sun. In both Chinese and Japanese traditions, this has made it a symbol of enlightenment, of the capacity to transform difficulty into clarity without pretending the difficulty was not there.
This is the symbol for a particular kind of season: the time when you are doing real internal work. You’re noticing how therapy is actually changing things. You’re able to hold your grief and finally sit with it instead of managing it. You’re willing to take a long, honest look at a pattern you have been carrying for years and deciding, with some effort, to give it up. This is not always comfortable work, and the lotus does not promise that. But it does promise the work will lead to somewhere.
A floral silk robe featuring the lotus motif, worn in the morning before the day starts, is a small act of alignment with that process. It has the intention of growing from wherever you are, mud-soaked and all. It’s an intention to face your day with optimism and the understanding that life is about the journey.
Photo by Jennifer Skog
The Peacock: For the Woman Reclaiming Her Power
The peacock is unambiguous, and it’s not understated. In Chinese tradition, the peacock represents prosperity, good fortune, and the kind of confidence that comes not from arrogance but from recognizing your genuine capability. It is the symbol for the woman who is, right now, going after something big.
A promotion she has earned and is finally asking for out loud. A business she has been building in the margins of her life and is now ready to take seriously. A creative project that has been living in her head for years and is finally making its way into the world. It could be any of those milestone moment. These are the days when choosing to dress with intention, not in a performative way, but with attention to detail, will help you express not only who you are today, but who you are becoming.
Our peacock pieces, worn as kimono outfits layered over a sharp blazer or a clean monochrome base, bring an energy that is hard to express through any other means. The bird spreads its wings, so should she.
Photo by @mariacalderon.art
The Peony: For the Woman Who Deserves a Little More TLC
The peony in Chinese tradition is called the king of flowers, associated with grace, elegance, and the kind of beauty that is self-reliant and confident. It is a symbol of abundance that is soft rather than sharp, full rather than loud. And it is, we think, exactly the right symbol for the woman who holds it all together in strength, but deserves the space to also let it go.
Not every season is a season of momentum. Some seasons are a season of maintenance: keeping things running, showing up for the people who need you, getting through the weeks. These seasons are not less valuable than the big, visible ones and they ask a lot of you, often without commensurate recognition. The peony is for this woman, the one who is doing it all without much fanfare, who wears her morning robe as a reminder to stay soft, versatile, and open to care. A long kimono robe from our Printed Silk Collection, wrapped around her before the day begins its demands, is exactly that kind of reminder.
Wearing your symbol with intention
The difference between a robe you thrown on and a robe you choose to wear as a symbol of self-expression is small distinction. But details like Asian botanical symbolism gives you a vocabulary for that choice, and once you know what the motif means and why you reached for it during this particular season, the garment becomes an expressive piece. It becomes a daily personal statement of where you are and where you are headed.
