Asai founded her Mode & Classic design company in 2010 with the aim of taking the best parts of exquisite Japanese taste and style into the international fashion arena and then taking it off in new directions.
Asai's projects have been featured in The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune and won acclaim for her unique take on kimono styling. She has given kimono demonstrations across the United States and staged exhibitions in Amsterdam and the Swedish city of Gothenburg.
In her Classic line, Asai has included a number of "furisode"-style designs, which are women's long-sleeved formal dresses, as well as a recreation of the "montsuki haori hakamak" men's formal wear. The range also includes "obi" sashes and modern Japanese accessories. The Mode items include see-through kimono jackets made of sheer organdy cloth, "ro" summer kimonos of silk and more avant-garde items for men's wardrobes.
In a further twist, some of the kimono and obi sashes use African fabrics, while white kimono with large obi ribbons serve as wedding dresses.
Asai said she believes that kimono will be recognized as "universal formal wear that is beyond cultural and ethnic boundaries."
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