Material Study: Get to Know the KIM+ONO Collection

Posted by Renee & Tiffany on

At KIM+ONO, we are obsessed with the uniqueness of beauty. There is no cookie cutter definition of what is beautiful, but rather, beauty stems from the unique and special quality of the person, place, or thing. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. We also have an obsession with simplicity. The more we can boil things down to their essence, the more time we get to appreciate them. The simpler we communicate, the more we can understand and be understood. The simpler our surroundings, the clearer our minds. 

With those ideals in mind, beauty and simplicity, we’ve built out a collection of kimono robes that speaks to those ideals. We’ve stitched that love of simplicity and beauty to every material in each of our collections. You may be familiar with our silks, and while we happen to believe every woman (and man!) should have a silk kimono robe in their closet, we know you needed an option that was easy to care for but just as soft and luxurious, so we made Charmeuse and Washable Silk. So today on the journal, we’re keeping it simple and breaking down what makes each of our collections beautiful and unique so you can find a favorite that speaks to you.

Silk Yuri Kimono Robe
Photo by Miranda Taylor De Lay
A Brief History of Silk Kimono Fabric

Our most extensive collection is absolutely our silks. And for good reason: our co-founders have been deeply inspired by the history of traditional Japanese kimono robes. Japanese kimono were greatly inspired by Han Chinese clothing worn during the Chinese Qing Dynasty. While the influences from both countries influenced different patterns and features, the kimono fabric has been traditionally made of satin weaves or silk. When co-founders and sisters, Tiffany and Renee Tam, traveled to Asia with their parents growing up, they met with local artisans making handcrafted silk products, and fell in love with the fabric. Today, our Silk Collection takes inspiration from their childhood travels coupled with the history of traditional Japanese kimono fabric.

Handpainted Silk Crane Kimono Robe
Photo by Stephanie Russo
The Handpainted Silk Kimono Robe Collection

All of our kimono patterns are designed in house in San Francisco by Tiffany and Renee. The sisters and co-founders create the original patterns and then they are handcrafted in China’s Silk Village by the same family of artisans we’ve been partnering with for decades. The designs are sketched by hand, and after the sketch is finalized, the kimono is saturated in rich watercolors using a traditional paintbrush, drawing inspiration for our kimono patterns from traditional Asian aesthetics. Because this is such an intricate process, our Handpainted Kimono Robe Collection is a special one. It’s important to care for your Handpainted Kimono Robe like a piece of wearable art — keeping it out of the washing machine and avoiding any contact with water, which can potentially cause the dyes and designs to bleed. You can see more of the behind the scenes footage of our entire handcrafted process here.

Silk Kiku Kimono Robe
Photo by Maria Del Rio
The Printed Silk Kimono Robe Collection

For those who want the luxury of silk without the care necessary for a handpainted design, we offer our Silk Collection. Again the designs are all created in house, sketched by hand and then finalized into a print we can apply seamlessly to this lightweight silk. This collection is incredibly soft and breathable, and has a fluid drape so every inch of you touches this 100% silk fabric. Both the handpainted and printed silks are gorgeously lightweight at 16mm.

Washable Silk Lotus Kimono Robe
Photo by Delbarr Moradi
The Washable Silk Kimono Robe Collection

Your favorite kimono style may be one you want to bring into your nightly routine, as well as your daywear, and we highly recommend doing so! The difference between our Washable Silk and other silks is the weave of the silk. The Washable Silk Kimono Robe marries our most popular designs with the luxurious washable silk fabric that’s soft and breathable, and just a bit heavier at 22mm. This is compared to our printed and Handpainted Silk Kimono Robes which weigh in at 16mm. Our washable floral kimono cardigans are easier to clean and maintain since you can gently wash them at home. These pieces are at the highest price point in all of our collections as the washable fabric is the most costly part of the silk kimono robe to produce. As always, we suggest placing your kimono robe in a delicates laundering bag like this one before placing into the washing machine to avoid your piece getting snagged on buttons or zippers from other items of clothing. To find out more about how to care for your washable silk kimono robe at home, take a glance at our journal post on how to do just that.

Fura Kimono Robe
Photo by Maria Del Rio
The Charmeuse Collection

We love the Charmeuse Collection because it makes it easy to bring your kimono robe with you! This collection has a material that is just as soft as silk, but with more durability (at 22mm as opposed to silks’ 16mm) for an easier laundering process. Whether you use your flower kimono robe as a lightweight layer, a cover up, or cardigan, it’s an easy piece to pull from your closet at the start of each day. The easy to care for instructions — just wash in cold water on a delicate cycle and hang to dry — make this a piece you feel happy to wear inside and outside the house. And that makes it even more fun to dress up and take out as a lightweight layer over jeans or as your go-to self care staple at the end of a long day.

Azumi Kimono Wrap
Photo by Angie Silvy
The Kimono Wrap Collection
Our kimono wraps are some of our customers’ favorite pieces in our charmeuse material, and it’s easy to see why. They’ve got all the softness of the charmeuse blend with the added touch of beautiful velvet on the kimono sleeves and collar, adding extra weight and making it an instant classic. The charmeuse is a slightly thicker material than our silks, at 22mm thick as compared to the silk at 16mm thick and these are the only pieces that have light lining on the inside. Not to mention, the short kimono wraps do have pockets! These extra details make this kimono wrap a little extra in the best way.

 

Update! Since December 2022, all of our fan favorite Kimono Wraps have side seam pockets to combine both function and elegance in one beautifully liquid drape.

 

Coral Chrysanthemum Plus Size Kimono Robe
Photo by @burgundyfox
The Fit of our Kimono Robes and Kimono Wraps

If you’ve been following us, you know that we have “one size fits most” designs in both our Charmeuse and our Silk Collections, fitting between 43”-48” in chest and hips depending on the style. We’ve also rolled out our Curve Collection with plus size kimono robes that fits up to 55” in chest and hips. The beautiful thing about all of these kimono fabrics is we’ve omitted shoulder seams on every design. That means that they’ll each fall a little bit differently on everyone, depending on the breadth of your shoulders, making each piece as unique as you are. You can find exact measurement details on each product page under ‘SIZING’ to give you the most accurate idea of fit.

 

Care FAQ: Which Kimono Robes Can I Steam?

You can steam all of our kimono robes and wraps, whether they're silk, washable silk, or charmeuse! Steaming can restore moisture and softness while removing wrinkles. Try starting with your steamer held at a slight distance before carefully moving closer. Here's a video showing how we steam our kimono robes with a steamer cover to prevent water from splattering:

 

With each of these collections comes a wish from us to you that you find something absolutely stunning to make you feel like the queen you are, each and every day.

Charmeuse Kimono Robes Handpainted Silk Kimono Robes Washable Silk

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Comments


  • Hi Pamela, thanks for your question! Yes, that one is from our Satin Collection (100% polyester fiber with a satin weave) and it can be gently laundered at home on the delicate cycle with cold water and mild detergent. Make sure to not overstuff the washer and place it in a delicates bag before washing. Then you can hang it to dry and steam if necessary. Hope this helps!

    Courtney on
  • I just bought KM01LSV-2X-pb-mauve, plus size satin robe. Is this 100% satin & how do I wash it? Thanks!

    Pamela on
  • Hi Tereitta! Our pockets were announced for our Kimono Wrap Collection only. You can see details about the pockets on the product page in the bullet points for that collection. Right now our kimono wraps do not come in the Curve sizing, but that’s something we are researching and developing, so stay tuned!

    Courtney on
  • I saw an email that pockets have been added! Does this mean that all curve collection items have pockets?

    tereitta on
  • Hi Conceda, great question! Because we don’t use brand sizing as it varies widely from company to company, the fit of our kimono robes will depend on your actual measurements. You can see exact measurement details on every product page under ‘SIZING’ to give you the most accurate idea of fit. And our Curve Collection does fit a typically 2x size. Hope this helps!

    Courtney on
  • Do they fit a person in1x &2xs

    Conceda Whipple on
  • Hi Constance,

    Thanks so much for reaching out! Yes, our Charmeuse is breathable and lightweight. We are planning on bringing both Silk and Washable Silk to our Curve Collection this fall (2020) and if you’re signed up for our VIP list, you’ll be the first to know when they’re available! <3

    Courtney on
  • Is your polyester charmeuse breathable? I have been hoping for washable silk in plus size, and not seen it. I hate polyester because it doesn’t normally breathe and it makes me feel sweaty. Can you help me see when you might have plus size (my favorite design is antique teal butterfly and peony short one) in washable silk?
    thank you! i have been waiting since August, and wonder if you had it and I missed it? cheers, Constance

    Constance Kampf on

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