Susan Cianciolo(41), designer from New York stayed in Kyoto for a month creating her collection which she will show at the New York Collection in Feb. 2011. The Nishijin Obi maker "HINAYA"(Jokyo-ku, Kyoto-shi) helped her dyeing and weaving herself. "It was wonderful month, I truly feel that I don't want to go home" said Susan before her leaving Kyoto.(Atsuko Ohta)
Trying weaving and dyeing at Nishijin
She started her own brand 1995, made her debut as film director in '96. She has been showing her collection in a whole world and started been a friend with HINAYA using their textile since 2002. "Her works are totally opposite to our traditional works and that becomes our new stimulant very much." said Naoto Izukura, the owner of HINAYA preparing the creative space and environment for her, finally her long stay became come true as the first time.
Got to Kyoto on Nov. 1st. The creative life living in a condo in Kyoto with her two years old daughter is "It was full of the new discoveries". The flower pots under the eaves or the doll store on the small alley, found something new at every each walking or bicycling "It was different type of exciting everyday than New York".
Those days gave a big influence to her design, too. New dress was influenced by flower printed apron which she saw in the town, the jacket which she had no idea what to do with was re-born with scrap of Kimono.
She saw the sky from the window everyday in her studio and had deep impression from the scenery of the sky above the roofs. She decided to use the "sky" as the key-word for her next collection's theme. The warm colored dress recalling us the sun set, degrade dress which you can imagine the sky changing the colors are all stood out by the beautiful colors.
