Fabric Care

Taking good care of your garments is the most important way to keep them looking great for years to come.
Contact me if you have questions about care for your specific items.

Washing and Drying

All garments will last significantly longer if you do not put them through the dryer, as the heat and motion is particularly hard on collars. Stains should be spot cleaned with a clean, damp cloth as soon as possible.

Machine wash, hang dry – These items can be put through the washing machine with cold or warm water:

Juban (all fabrics)

Samue (except rayon or linen/rayon blend, these should be hand-washed)

Happi shirts (except linen/rayon blend)

Kimono (except lightweight cotton) – use the gentle cycle

Hand wash, hang dry – These items should be washed by hand (see instructions below):

Samue in rayon or linen/rayon blend

Kimono in lightweight cotton

Happi shirts in linen/rayon blend

Nagasamue (all fabrics)

Lay robe (all fabrics)

Kairyoe (all fabrics)

Everyday Zen koromo

Dry clean only – These items are recommended for dry cleaning only. If you wash them yourself, the fabric may shrink or look different afterwards:

Priest koromo

Hand Washing Instructions

Fill a large basin with cool water and mix in a gentle laundry detergent before adding any clothing. Submerge the garment in the water and allow it to soak for 10-15 minutes, then gently stir and massage the fabric. Be very careful not to lift or pull the garment (especially items with large sleeves or skirts), as the fabric gets heavy when wet and certain stress-points are more likely to tear, particularly under the arms. Let it soak for another 20 minutes, but do not leave it for much longer. At this point, lift the garment out of the water in one big ball (again, careful not to pull by the sleeves or skirt), and refill the basin with fresh, cool water for rinsing. Re-submerge and gently stir/massage the fabric again, repeating as necessary with new batches of water until the soap has been rinsed out.

When the item is clean, gently remove it and press out the water, avoiding any wringing or twisting motion. It can help to lay the garment flat on a bath towel and blot it with another towel to remove more water. Hang the garment to air dry in a manner that distributes the weight evenly.

Ironing

Your garments will look their best when nicely pressed. Use an iron when necessary, following the standard heat settings for your specific fabric.

Linen: high heat with steam

Cotton: medium-high heat with or without steam

Polyester and rayon: medium-low heat without steam

Mending

Eventually every garment needs repairs. The places that experience the most stress are usually the ones that wear through first: collars, underarms, cuffs, and hems. It is best to make an intervention as soon as possible after noticing the start of an issue, as the fabric will only continue to deteriorate and small areas are much easier to deal with than larger ones.

Collars that wear through along the fold can be addressed by an overcollar. Either remove and replace the existing overcollar if there is one, or find a piece of suitable fabric to cover the frayed area with a new overcollar. The overcollar should be cut long enough to cross in front (usually 80-100 cm long). I may be able supply a matching piece of fabric if you purchased your robe from me and did not order the replacement piece at the time you bought it.

Other areas that fray or tear can be mended using a variety of techniques. For significant fabric damage or areas of high stress, some combination of fusible interfacing, over-stitching, and a patch is a fairly reliable method.