At my atelier ‘Kotori Fleuri’, I have been hand-making purses, bags,
cosmetic pouches, and so on, using French fabrics.
I would like to explain the process of my work.
I travel to France to search for materials
Mainly in southern France and Paris,
I look for fabrics and buttons by walking around markets and shops where local people visit.
In the modern age of the Internet, it’s no surprise that I’m often asked,
‘Why don’t you order materials online?’
For me, however, it’s more fascinating and valuable to purchase fabrics in person than to order online because I still believe there are things we cannot obtain online.
In selecting fabrics in France, there is a much wider range of choices than online. It’s also very important to feel the atmosphere of each place and exchange communication with local people while choosing materials.
On the other hand, there are times when I feel that some of the fabrics recommended by local shop staff are too Asian for my taste.
Some Western people like Asian cultures.
Conversely, some Japanese people admire cultures in distant Western countries. So I think it’s my responsibility to choose fabrics in line with Japanese preferences.
I visit France once a year for about two weeks, and really enjoy exploring cities and towns every day to look for something new and unique.
my atelier, I transform the materials I collected into attractive products
I customize fabrics in many ways at my atelier in Japan.
Hundreds of new patterns can be created by combining pieces of fabric.
I choose each material one by one and combine them to make a perfect match.
If I am not satisfied with the result, I just redo the process.
Finally, Kotori Fleuri’s finely-detailed, hand-made works then depart from my atelier one after another, wrapped in an air of France, and with my warmest feelings.
(translation from the panel of exhibition Kotori Fleuri by A.Samori)