My Story in Pictures

  • 2012

    I took my first kimono lessons with a private teacher.

    A woman standing outdoors wearing a peach-colored kimono with floral patterns, holding a red handbag, in front of a white brick wall with a black gate.

  • 2014

    I enrolled in a private kimono school.

    A woman wearing a traditional Japanese kimono, sitting on a mat in a room, taking a photo with her phone.

  • 2015

    I started to take kimono sewing (和裁, wasai) classes once a week.

    Woman in traditional green kimono sewing gray fabric.

  • 2017

    I became Kumamoto champion of the Furisode Speed Dressing Competition.

    A woman in a purple kimono with floral designs is standing on stage with her arms outstretched, smiling, during a formal event. Other women in traditional Japanese attire are in the background, and one woman is speaking at a podium.

  • 2018

    I passed the exam for my kimono teacher’s license.

    Woman in traditional kimono holding a wooden award, smiling at an indoor ceremony.

  • 2019

    I received certificates for Japanese make-up artist and historical kimono stylist. Then I graduated from my kimono school.

    A woman smiling and trying on a colorful traditional Japanese kimono inside a room with shoji sliding doors. The kimono features a green background with red floral patterns and a checkered design, accented with orange and black obi belts. A person is seen kneeling on the floor in the background.

  • 2020

    I started to teach kimono dressing as a full-time kimono teacher online.

    A woman with pink hair wearing a floral kimono standing in front of a camera in a room with wooden walls and large windows.

  • 2021

    I started to take classes for dressing Japanese imperial costumes at Kokusaibunka Technical College of Hairdesign.

    A woman assisting with putting on a traditional Japanese kimono on a mannequin, in a room with shoji sliding doors.

  • 2021

    I passed the Kimono Culture Exam Pre-Level 1 (着物文化検定準一級). Level 1 is the highest level and I will continue taking this exam until I pass.

    A Japanese certification card with pink and red decorative background, indicating cultural qualification, with black text and a red stamp.

  • 2024

    I did my first kimono workshop tour, where I taught over 150 students in 8 different countries.

    Two women wearing traditional Japanese kimonos facing each other at a social event.

  • 2026

    I passed the exam to be a licensed first grade kimono dressing technician (一級着付け技能士) of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

    Two women standing side by side against a brick wall. One is dressed in a white shirt, black pants, and sneakers with a purple strap. The other is dressed in a traditional yellow kimono with floral and butterfly patterns, a black and gold obi belt, and white footwear.

When I put it in words…

Before I had ever even been to Japan, I was always drawn to kimono. But unfortunately it was really hard to find any information about kimono in English or German on the internet. So I’ve spent years to study and perfect my Japanese first.

2012 I went to study for a year in Aichi Prefecture as a part of an exchange program between my German university and our Japanese sister faculty. I was really lucky, because I could live with my friend’s family for the whole time. And as luck would have it, my friend’s mother was a professional kimono teacher and she introduced to me kimono world!

My host mother is simply amazing! Not only could she dress herself and me, but she also knew a lot about kimono, because she was working at a kimono store before she got married and she also sewed her own kimono and obi. She immediately became my role model.

After going back to Germany, graduating from university and a successful job hunt for a job in Japan, I was able to move to Kumamoto. Since I finally had the language ability, free time and money (kimono lessons can be pricy!!!) I started my professional kimono training at a private kimono school. This school was focusing on speed kimono dressing and stage dressing. This meant that I had been able to gain a lot of fun skills like blind dressing or self-furisode dressing – both skills that are not necessarily taught. We had annual kimono speed dressing competitions and several shows throughout the year. 2017 I even was able to win the Furisode Speed Dressing Competition in Kumamoto. You should know that I’m not a competitive person, so I stopped competing after that. But it was a great experience!

In my 5 years at this kimono school, I could also learn historical kimono dressing, nihon buyo (日本舞踊, traditional Japanese dance) dressing, Japanese styled make-up, and more. After passing the first level tests at my kimono school, I started to take kimono sewing lessons weekly. First it was private lessons, but in 2019 I joined a school that trains professional kimono tailors. I only enrolled in the “sewing for fun”-classes, because I don’t want to do this professionally. However, it is a very professional environment and it helps me slowly gaining the knowledge and skills of a kimono tailor.

I was also able to take lessons at different kimono schools and with private teachers to expand my skills beyond my original school’s skillset. 2021 I made my dream come true and started to take lessons for imperial court gowns at Kokusaibunka Technical College of Hairdesign in Tokyo.

2026 I passed the only and highest national exam there is for kitsuke in Japan and was honored to become a licensed first grade kitsuke technician (一級着付け技能士, ikyuu kitsuke ginoushi). This is a certification for kimono stylists by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Last but not least is that I am (probably) the only foreigner ever getting this far in the Kimono Culture Exam, which is undoubtedly the hardest exam about kimono theory worldwide. Since I started to challenge all levels of this exam, I’m completely down a rabbit hole and now I own a tiny library with about 100 new, vintage and antique books and magazines of kimono dressing, sewing and kimono theory. For me kimono is an endless journey of studying and I can’t wait share all of this experience and knowledge with you!