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Opening times will be advertised on Instagram, Facebook and in the weekly newsletter. Sign up to get up-to-date info on what's new, special workshops, offers, first dibs and vendor profiles. Need a private shopping session, send me a quick email and we'll set one up.  You might also enjoy...
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 Thursday 11th May 2023 10-11am This month we're meeting at Studio Biku in Shimokitazawa (my new studio).
Max 10 spots available due to limited space so please only click going if you're definitely coming. YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...
 I can't wait for the next event at Tokyo American Club on 16th April. The Club will be open to the public and 40 amazing creative businesses will be popping up with their wares to bring you a wide selection of Omiyage gifts to take home for your summer holidays. Here's a list of some of the vendors who will be there: From Juju With Love Mapponica Japan Jikuu Japan Moniko Melissa Finkenbiner Fine Art Erica Ward Illustration The Handmade Edit DDs Den POJ Studio See you there from 11am-7pm for one day only! YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...
 Two kimono remake brands come together to present unique items for your home or to accessorise your wardrobe. Come along and shop antique and vintage obi cushion covers and table runners, hair accessories and jewellery. "BARRIQUE TOKYO, gives new value to Kimono by turning them into modern fabrics. We are taking on the challenge of bringing the beauty and skill of traditional Japanese craftsmanship to people overseas." "Victoria Close is a British designer living and working in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. She is passionate about the concept of ʻmottainaiʼ and is on a mission to rescue vintage Japanese textiles from the landfill one kimono at a time." 英国人と日本人、独自の感性を持ったアーティスト２名がそれぞれ日本の古い着物や帯をさまざまな作品にリメイクしました。この機会にぜひ作品を手に取ってご覧ください。 日時：3/31(金) 12:00-19:00、4/1 (土) 10:00-18:00 ■BARRIQUE TOKYO■ 私たちBARRIQUE TOKYOは、着物に新たな価値を与えてモダンファブリックに再生することで、日本の伝統工芸の美しさや巧みな技を海外の方々に届けるチャレンジをしています。 ■Bikudesigns■ ヴィクトリア・クロースは、東京の下北沢を拠点に活動する英国人デザイナーです。日本の「もったいない」という概念に敬意を表し、着物のヴィンテージ生地に新たな命を吹き込むことを使命に活動しています。  YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...
 A word of the year can be really useful but in recent years I found it quite stifling, stressful and a little bit annoying! I found myself searching around for something that sounded good, that worked for my business and was always focused on growth. So I suddenly stopped choosing one. And for a while it felt great but also a little rudderless. At the end of 2022 I was feeling sluggish, slow and unenergised (thanks Covid and the pandemic in general). So I decided, rather than wallow, I would do something about it. And that's where the word MOVE comes in. So what does MOVE mean to me?
When you decide on your word of 2023, why not have a tag made by Erinn at Off on a Whim? She hand-stamps your word into metal charms for you to hang on your bag or key ring. I'd love to know your word of the year. If you don't have one, feel free to borrow mine!
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 Mottainai: The regret you feel when wasting something that still has life left in it. The concept of Mottainai can be applied to forgotten things, unused spaces, used objects that are no longer needed and even people. All of which apply to me, my family and especially to my brand. Bikudesigns was founded on this very concept many years ago, not as a 'good idea for a business' but as a deeply ingrained philosophy of life that has been within me since birth. Actually, before I was born. I'm descended from a long line of make-do-and-menders. Tripe dealers, silk weavers, shop owners, seamstresses and a milliner and the one thing they had in common was their working class roots and the necessity to get by any way they could. That would mean altering, adapting, making or crafting anything they needed with what they already had. I grew up with stories of long-dead family members who kept chickens in their inner city yards, who sewed their own wedding outfits, of cardboard wedding cakes and a world resembling an L.S.Lowry painting. The generations lived (and fought) their way through world wars, bombings, rationing, austerity, fear of having nothing or losing it all. Even though my experience of growing up was vastly different to those long-gone days (no-one ever asked me to sweep the street, scrub the front step or do the laundry with a dolly and a mangle) the lived experiences of the family I had never met were built into me. Fix what is broken. Alter what doesn't fit. Make what you don't have.  And this, in a very round about way, takes us from the streets of Manchester and Salford to inner city Tokyo. The spirit of Mottainai travelled thousands of miles with me when I moved here, I suppose there's no escaping your values! When my kids were little, I would make toys from bottle caps, reuse PET bottles to make investigation activities and even make them clothes from time to time. And when it came time to let things go, I sold, donated or gave away their old clothes, toys and baby ephemera. We had charity flea markets outside our house and around that time the 'Mottainai Box' was born. It sounds much more glamourous than it really is...it's a box or crate with a handmade carboard sign (naturally!). And it works like magic. We gather bits and pieces from around the house that we no longer need but still have life in them and add them to the box in the genkan. When there are few things in there we pop it outside and invite our neighbours to shop the items for free. Lately it's taken an unexpected turn with family members shopping the box for different projects. See? Magic! In the last month we've waved goodbye to: 👋 Magazines 👋 Books 👋 Wooden hangers 👋 Easter decorations 👋 A small jigsaw 👋 Gacha toys 👋 ¥100 shop toys 👋 Kids cap
Flowers from a neighbour's garden with a thank you note for the hangers they took If you love reusing things, like me and the rest of my family, I recommend this amazing temple to used goods! This is the Book Off Super Bazaar and there are not very many in central Tokyo. Most are outside of Tokyo in Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama but they are definitely worth the travel! We headed to our closest one (an hour by train and free Book Off minibus) to kit the kids out with ski wear. We also picked up some other bits and bobs such as kimono fabric and hair ornaments. The beauty of Book Off is that you can also sell your used items for store credit or cash. (Store credit is a much better deal.) This is such a great way to pass on your unwanted things with peace of mind make a few ¥¥¥ and teach your kids about saving the planet. 
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Subscribe to The Creativity Cafe podcast here Whole Self Creative Instagram Jordana Illustration Instagram YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...  A round-up of all my fave Christmas things. Do you agree? Leave a comment if you'd like to weigh in!
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 After the sold out Instagram courses (season 1 and 2) Alex from Turquoise Port and I decided to set up a mailing list course to support small business owners. We had both unlocked the magic of the mailing list years before and were so happy to be sending weekly emails to our customers to stay in touch and in front of their eyes. The plan was to teach the class in a single day, in person in Tokyo with lunch and snacks in Alex's light-filled Tokyo Showroom. But then, all of a sudden (and after selling some seats in the class already) Alex relocated to New Zealand. It took us a heartbeat to know that we wanted to continue our business partnership and have been meeting online every Monday since. We quickly pivoted the course we'd already started writing into a two week offering, purely online, with 6 self-paced video modules with tasks attached. And we also added two live calls in the mix. And because we like giving things away, we also created a private community for expat business owners that we are giving FREE for three months with the purchase of the course as well as bonuses. We've now finished writing the course, have completed all the task sheets and are now ready to record next week. Wish us luck! If you're interested in finding out more, tap the button below to take you to the course page. We just can't wait to get started! YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...
 Starting on December 1st 2022 I'll be sending you a sparkly offer every day in the 12 Days of Biku Christmas event. So you know what's coming up, here's a run down of the offers and the when they're landing.
Each offer lasts for 24 hours so make sure to check my Instagram and Facebook Page as well as the VIP Club for reminders every day, or join the event for notifications. Fa la la la la la la la laaaaaaaaa. Victoria x  YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY...  It's been a busy 2022 at Overseas Makers Guild, the free community I set up in 2020. I've been so happy to support expat makers with their handmade businesses this year as well as provide a space to share our wins and woes every week in the Guild Zoom Room.
Our community is getting more and more active by the day and is growing bit by bit too. Thanks to everyone for being a part of this ride! If you're interested in joining us, there's a button below to access our supportive and thriving community. Enjoy this year's Overseas Makers Guild Gift Guide, click the links and show our makers some love on their socials. Keep sparkling, Victoria x   katieSOcrafty specializes in custom sewn accessories made from kawaii Japanese prints and upcycled kimonos.
 Hi I'm Victoria, the face behind the vintage kimono jewellery and accessories brand Bikudesigns. I'm the organiser of the Biku & Co. Pop-up, a place for international makers/ artists to show their work in a small pop-up gallery space in Shimokitazawa. Tokyo. I'm passionate about craft and even more passionate about supporting creatives in setting up and scaling their small businesses. The concept of this pop-up arose from my own need for spaces to show and sell my work as an international designer in Japan. If you can't find it, build it yourself! 
WEBSITE: bikudesigns.com FACEBOOK: @bikudesigns INSTAGRAM: @bikudesigns Victoria’s one-of-a-kind vintage kimono jewellery and accessories will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 Christina Lopp is an artist, designer and teacher. Growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California, USA, nestled between beachy Santa Cruz and techy Silicon Valley, she has always had her feet in (at least) two worlds. Christina moved to Tokyo with her two kids and husband the summer of 2017 and delights every day in the beautifully considered aesthetics, motifs and visual style in many traditional Japanese art forms. She has filled more than 25 watercolor journals with visual vignettes and stories of in her time living in Tokyo. As a lifelong learner, and to learn more about the Japanese culture, Christina is also currently studying Japanese shodo, sumi-e, and mokuhanga — which helps her understand more about how art is made in Japan. Christina has recently starting teaching art classes again after a long hiatus. She enjoys trips around Japan learning as much as she can about the culture, the arts, the food and the onsens (hot springs) of this beautiful country. She and her husband Andy have two children who attend middle and high school at The American School in Japan. And she still feels like she has her feet in (at least!) two worlds.
 WEBSITE: christinalopp.com INSTAGRAM: @tchristina.lopp.art Christina’s sketchbooks and original art pieces will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 Since 2016, designer and founder Clémentine Sandner has been collecting pre-loved textiles from different regions of Japan and giving them a new life. She sources, designs, and transforms antique kimono and obi to create unique and functional bags. Mikan - Japanese for Clémentine - was born from the desire to share this passion for both upcycling and Japanese textiles. With a degree in fashion design and experience as a Fashion design instructor at ESMOD Japon, Mikan offers various ways of enjoying her creation, including sewing workshops, DIY craft kits and custom orders. Mikan is based in Kyoto.  WEBSITE: mikanbags.com FACEBOOK: @clementinesandner INSTAGRAM: @mikan_bags Clémentine’s beautiful obi bags will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.
 Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 WHO WE ARE Rachel Ferguson, author Rachel is a Scottish writer who has lived in Tokyo since 2005. Other activities include the development of community spaces including shared apartments, offices and an English preschool. She is currently in the joyful throes of raising two preschoolers. POMPETTE, illustration and design Pompette is a Japanese illustrator-designer duo bringing ideas and brands to life through illustration, design, storytelling, and content creation. Hiroko, born and raised in Hiroshima, studied design in Kyoto. She was a web director in Kyoto before she became a freelance illustrator. Yuko, born in Japan and raised in San Francisco, studied architecture in Kyoto then worked in graphic design and marketing in New York. She lived in a small village in France before she came back to Japan and teamed up with Hiroko to start Pompette. A goodnight book for a good night. My two-year-old daughter did not like going to bed. I tried everything I could think of to lure/lull/bribe her to sleep. Nothing worked. I was tired. It was past my bedtime by the time she slept. So, I tested many of the top-rated bedtime books. Most were fun or cute - or both - but they didn't help Grace fall asleep. Then I found a couple that, read multiple times in a soothing tone, relaxed her so much that eventually her little eyelids drooped and she nodded off peacefully. Hallelujah! I was so inspired by the power of these sacred texts that I decided to take the best elements of each and create my own story. The magic ingredient is an audio file: after you read to your little one, the story can be played on repeat while they drift off to sleep- leaving you with a little magic time to yourself 
"Gugu and Penfin Sleep” is a beautiful bedtime experience, the result of my search for the perfect goodnight book: Soft, soothing sounds Repetition Rhyme Comforting imagery Charming illustrations with subtle humour White space to calm the mind and allow little imaginations to blossom A spoken-word lullaby to play while your little one drifts off to sleep Gugu and Penfin is for: Children who want a simple, delightful bedtime story Parents & caregivers who love reading their kids a story ONE time (and are happy to let a soothing audio track do the rest) People who would like to introduce English to their kids in a natural, easy, and enjoyable way. Snuggled up in bed, Gugu and her plush toy, Penfin, explore outer space, ocean depths, treetops, and giant flowers before imagining their loved ones gathered together to wish them off to a peaceful sleep. Lovable characters, the theme of connection and a soothing audio accompaniment make the book universally comforting. This article in The Weekender nicely summaries the journey to our creating the book https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2021/08/gugu-and-penfin-sleep/  WEBSITE: guguandpenfin.com INSTAGRAM: @guguandpenfin Rachel’s beautiful picture book will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022. Find out more about our pop-up members here.
  "Hi! I'm Vicky Kobayashi! Ice Flower Crochet is where I showcase my handcrafted crochet items for the home. I'm originally from England, and have lived in Hokkaido, Japan for over thirty years. I love colour and texture, and bring that brightness and fun into my creations, such as blankets, washcloths and face scrubbies, amigurumi, hair accessories, hats and scarves. For this event, I've created a garden of pumpkins, some realistic and some wild and magical! I hope you'll enjoy my interpretation of the season, and that my pumpkins will enhance your home decor."
FACEBOOK: @iceflowercrochet INSTAGRAM: @iceflowercrochet Vicky’s fantastic pumpkins will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 "From Juju With Love is the result of my moving to Tokyo and my former job as a visual merchandiser at Chanel when I was in Paris. This project is a mix of all I like: Search for objects and enhance them, create, put them together, match the colors, have fun, be amazed and travel. These wooden boxes are meant to embellish your everyday life. Easy to hang thanks to their lightness and to their adhesive back, they will find their new home very easily in your rooms or kid’s room, your kitchen or your living room ! I also customize Daruma and take pictures of my characters throughout Japan!" 
FACEBOOK: @FromJujuWithLove INSTAGRAM: @fromjujuwithlove Juliette’s pop culture dioramas and decoupage Daruma will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 Off on a Whim is the creative work of Erinn LaMattery who began her small business in 2011 as way to support her family doing something she loved. Originally from California, she settled in Japan in her youth and it is now where she calls home. Off on a Whim’s motto comes from the philosopher Rumi: "Let the beauty you love be what you do.” Natural stones and real materials are the base of her work, born out of a long love affair with the beautiful nature of stones and their strong connection to the world around. There is (almost) no stone she doesn’t love and it’s very hard to walk out of a stone shop without adding something new to her collection. Her work is also very customer-led. From the beginning of Off on a Whim she worked closely with customers to design and build their dream pieces. 90% of the pieces at offonawhim.com began as a custom request and evolved into a final product. Communicating, designing, tweaking and completing a custom project brings so much satisfaction that every project is her new favorite. She is 100% self-taught through online tutorials, YouTube, asking other jewelry artists and the good old ’try and see and try again!’ method. Maybe not the fastest way to learn a craft, it is definitely a rewarding way, that moment when it all comes together and looks just how it was imagined. With 4 kids and 5 grand-kittens, life keeps her busy and every time she’s asked ‘what do you do in your free time?’ her response is ‘What is free time??’ But if she had more free time it would be spent baking, traveling, and studying programming.
WEBSITE: offonawhim.com FACEBOOK: @offonawhim INSTAGRAM: @offonawhim Erinn’s beautiful jewellery will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022 just in time for some holiday shopping.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 The northern environment of Hokkaido, as well as Canada, inspire our candles in both our botanical candles where Mami draws inspiration on our nature walks for the flowers she uses in our botanical candles. We also try to use essential oils blended together that reproduce the scents we are familiar with in Hokkaido, using essential oils such as cypress, pine, cedarwood, fir tree, etc. We like to think that using essential oils from natural trees is a sort of shinrin-yoku like experience.  When we first started our business we knew that we wanted to be an environmentally friendly and vegan business. We care deeply about our impact on the environment, and want to contribute to more sustainable business practices. We are also vegan and wanted to make sure our business lines up with these values. It's very important to us that we use entirely plastic-free packaging as well as soy wax. When we first started our business, soy candles were less popular in Japan as well as plastic-free packaging. We hope that we can introduce our customers to small steps towards environmentally friendly practices while also enjoying a product of high quality. We also sell various candles including wooden wick candles, candles with refillable jars where you don't need to use a new jar and can opt to buy a wax only refill candle on our website. Lastly we sell many seasonal scents that are only available for set periods of time during specific times of the year. At this pop up event, we will be selling our seasonal Pumpkin Spice Candles as well!
Soy wax is very important to us as we wanted to use a wax that was both more environmentally friendly, as well as a natural/clean burning wax compared to the traditional paraffin (petroleum-based) candles popular in Japan. Although there are other waxes like Beeswax that are natural and clean burning, since we are both vegan the best option for us was soy wax. We feel that soy wax is the perfect candle wax for making clean, safe and natural products that are low impact on the environment and 100% vegan. Additionally, soy wax burns at a lower temperature than other candle waxes meaning you can use it for a longer period of time compared to similar-sized candles of other types of waxes. Mami and Alex met in BC, Canada in 2016 while Alex was hitch hiking across Canada and Mami was backpacking on a working holiday visa. The two travelled around Canada and then Japan together for a time before Alex eventually moved to Japan in 2017. After getting married and while living in Tokyo, Mami started making candles and studying at various schools across the city leading up to our wedding. Mami made all of the candles for our wedding and gave them out as thank you gifts to our guests, which resulted in overwhelming support to start selling these candles. In December of 2018 North Candles was formed. We started by selling at markets across Tokyo before eventually moving back to Canada to sell candles there, and then one more final move back to Hokkaido to Mami's hometown in Tokachi where we opened our store in June 2022.  WEBSITE: @northcandlesjp FACEBOOK: @northcandlesjp INSTAGRAM: @north_candles Alex and Mami’s beautiful candles will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022, just in time for Pumpkin Spice season. Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 Erica Ward is a California-born, Tokyo-based watercolor artist. She takes inspiration from Japanese design and often uses Japanese motifs in her work. By arranging everyday sights and objects in surreal ways within her artworks, Ward asks the viewer to consider the mundane daily objects in their surroundings as things of beauty and symbols of culture. エリカ・ワードはカリフォルニア生まれ、東京在住の水彩アーティスト。日本のデザインや「和」にインスピレーションを感じ、作品のモチーフとしてよく用いる。作品の中で日常的な物をシュールに合わせることで、身の回りにある物が美しいもの、そして文化的なシンボルであるのではないかと見る者に問いかける。  WEBSITE: ericawardart.comericawardart.com/ FACEBOOK: @ericawardart INSTAGRAM: @erica.ward.illustration Erica's stunning work will be popping up in the form of original pieces as well as prints, postcards and stickers at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.   Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 I'm Dominique from Three Houses Designs. The name of my business is derived from the kanji of my married name (三宅, 三 means "three" and 宅 means "house"). I'm originally from Nova Scotia, Canada but I have been living in Japan since 2004. In Japan I've lived in Tokushima, Chiba, Tokyo, and I now call Hiroshima home with my husband and three young children. I learned hand embroidery from my mother when I was a child and I came back to it when my youngest was a baby. I put together my hobby of graphic design with my love for hand embroidery and started designing modern hand embroidery patterns and kits. Many of my designs combine traditional wagara patterns and Japanese motifs. I hope you enjoy stitching them as much as I enjoy designing them.
 WEBSITE: threehousesdesigns.com FACEBOOK: @ThreeHousesDesigns INSTAGRAM: @threehousesdesigns Dominique’s embroidery kits will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022.  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 "Hi, I'm Patricia, the one and only face behind Tabitabiya, a small shop madly in love with the timeless beauty of Japanese traditional motifs.
I've been living in Tokyo for over 20 years and became fascinated by all these wonderful things Japanese people have been making throughout the centuries recycling old kimono and obi sashes that could no longer be worn.I decided to follow in their footsteps, and I now create my own designs upcycling vintage kimono or obi sashes. I love giving a new life to these magnificent old fabrics nobody wants anymore. I hope you too will feel inspired by their breathtaking elegance."  WEBSITE: tabitabiya.com FACEBOOK: @shoptabitabiya INSTAGRAM: @tabitabi.ya Patricia's beautiful cushions will be popping up at the Biku & Co. pop-up 5-10th October 2022!  Find out more about our pop-up members here.
 Welcome to the Biku & Co. Pop-up Shop. I'll be popping up with my vintage kimono creations with 11 other makers from the length and breadth of Japan in a little pop-up gallery space in the heart of Shimokitazawa. I've got some amazing artists and makers on board, some who you may not be familiar with. I'll be introducing them over the next few days and showcasing their products right here on the blog. I'm so passionate about handmade businesses and thought this would be a fabulous way to celebrate the diverse talents of international creatives in Japan. I've been looking for an opportunity like this for myself for years and couldn't find it anywhere. So, why not just build it myself?! I'll be in the store every day from 5-10th October, with a workshop or two thrown in for good measure. Up-to-the-minute developments will be reported in the Facebook event where you can also find the map to the event, pop-up opening times, maker interviews and product unboxings! I just can't wait to show you what I have lined up and welcome you into the shop to get a head start on your holiday shopping. Victoria x  Find out more about the makers/ artists here.
Coming up this week, so many new colours and patterns of vintage kimono pendants in the large 4cm size. Each kimono pendant is one-of-a-kind and made from personally-sourced kimono fabric (just imagine, each fabric treasure is discovered by me at antique fairs and vintage kimono shops). These pendants have been my best-sellers for YEARS and they just keep getting restocked. Why? They're comfortable, light-weight and so easy to wear that you might forget you're wearing one! Truly statement pieces without the neck pain and with a LOT of history. There are few Neon Stitches pieces in stock this time around, with some brand new fabric gems included too. Feel free to message me for a matching pair of studs, French levers or dangles. Happy to take your custom order. Here's what's launching.... YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...
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I'm Victoria, the founder, designer and creator at Bikudesigns, a vintage kimono accessories brand in Tokyo, Japan. Categories
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