Patterns that dance with you.
Behind Mirooka
The materials I use are kimono fabrics created in different eras and places of Japan. Kimono are an important cultural asset and a symbol of Japanese identity, yet today they have largely lost their role as everyday clothing.
Many are left unused in drawers or closets, or even discarded. Each kimono is an exceptionally luxurious craft, requiring an overwhelming number of processes to complete before it ever becomes a finished garment.
How can these unworn jewels be given new life?
Through extensive experimentation and exploration, Mirooka’s pieces were born.
Materials that were never meant to intersect come together through my work—meeting, transforming, and re-emerging as something new and beautiful.
Inspiration
Materials and Production
I carefully select each piece of fabric used in my work. I source materials from antique markets in Japan, specialty stores for vintage textiles, and recycled kimonos, and carry out all the processes in my very small home studio on Vancouver Island.
Most of the fabrics I use are pure silk, but I also incorporate cotton, linen, wool, and some blended fabrics with nylon or polyester.
*The filler in my necklaces and earrings is wooden beads.
One of a Kind
Each piece of fabric is vintage and one-of-a-kind, so the combinations are always different.
Even when using the same fabric, the impression can vary depending on which part is used—making every item truly unique.
FOUNDER and DESIGNER Miruka Yasuda
After graduating from Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2005 with a degree in Fashion and Costume Design, I began working as a costume production assistant in 2009.
In 2011, driven by a desire to see the world beyond Japan, I moved to Canada, where I spent five years working as a seamstress and gaining hands-on experience.
In 2014, I felt a strong urge to create something entirely my own. That’s when I began making beaded accessories—marking the beginning of Mirooka.
Since 2016, I’ve been balancing motherhood with creating at my own pace.
By 2018, I had become captivated by the beauty of vintage kimono fabrics(Kofu)and began incorporating them into my work.
In 2022, I devoted myself to creating works using *Kofu and began my full-scale activities as Mirooka.
*vintage kimono fabrics.
When I was a child, my mother—who was a designer—often took me to her studio.
I still remember the distinctive smell of the industrial sewing machines.
Shelves that are up to the ceiling, packed with vibrant, patterned fabrics imported from Europe. In the drawers, mixed among pens and sewing tools, were shiny gold buttons and scraps of lace ribbon—little treasures that made the space feel like a wonderland to me.
When I left Japan as an adult and discovered the charm of vintage fabrics, I remember feeling that same thrill all over again. I hope that, as people explore my work, they can experience that same sense of wonder—so that my pieces are not only beautiful but also carry a playful, joyful spirit.