Every Friday, starting this week, I'll be featuring a kimono fabric from my ever growing collection (it's a sickness I tell ya!).
This fabric is a heavy roketsu-zome silk with a satin sheen. So soft and supple and definitely makes a huge statement with its bold tangerine-green-indigo colour-way.

P.S. I'll be popping more shots of this kimono in my newsletter to give you a clearer picture of the texture and close-up details.
Are you on the list yet?

Are you a traditional kimono fan?
I just couldn't leave this one on the rack at the recent Boroichi (rag market) as the deep indigo colour just spoke to me. I'm a sucker for complimentary colour-ways and this deep blue and orange pushed me to make the deal with the vendor. Did I need it for my collection. Errrr nope! But do I love it? Errrr yep! So that's all I needed to know to add it to the other forgotten treasures in my studio.

I'm imagining this fabric in a multi-pendant neckpiece. How should I use it?
I love to hear your ideas, so please leave a comment below.

We all love connecting through social media don't we? I'm sure, like me, that you've made fabulous friends, or sold things or made connections for collaborations. I communicate all my events through social media channels, have a VIP Club for all the Bikufans, show BTS (behind the scenes) peeks at Tokyo life through Instagram/ Facebook stories. But I don't OWN any of it. Every follower, every comment, like, share they all belong to someone else and if Mr. Zuckerberg decides to pull the plug, everything is gone. The most important thing of all will be gone; my connection to you and the Biku Community.

So, the only sure-fire way to stay connected is through email. It sounds old-fashioned (a bit '90s) doesn't it? But please don't lose touch with me...it's easy to say, 'Oh I follow you on Insta' or 'Yes, I follow your Facebook'...but I value your support and don't want you to be lost in the ether.

If you love what Bikudesigns stands for, and are interested in seeing new and exclusive content straight into your inbox, then please subscribe! There are things in my newsletter that I don't mention anywhere else.

Sign up here. Please?

January Fukubukuro have all been mailed out and should have arrived in their forever homes by now. A number of fabulous customers have revealed the contents of their 'lucky bag' via social media. It's so exciting to get feedback, so keep it coming and keep tagging!

One super-kind customer in Canada went a HUGE step further this month and blogged about her Biku Fukubukuro experience on her wonderful kimono blog. If you are a kimono lover and haven't come across Diane's blog yet, head on over to Kimono Tsuki.  Diane is also on Instagram @kimonotsuki

I'm trying to get my Facebook page to 4 figures as a Christmas gift to myself! I know, I know, the numbers don't mean anything.... but it would be really, REALLY nice if you could help!

So, there are a couple of ways to help increase my following. One is to invite your friends to like my page directly from  the cover photo drop-down menu. This is not part of the competition, just if you are feeling particularly kind and giving in this season!

The second way is to join the Christmas Giveaway over on my Facebook post.

THE PRIZE: A Bikudesigns gift voucher worth Y5000 to shop in anyway you like. Put the money towards a bespoke piece, spend it all in one go or gift the voucher to someone.

THE DRAW: December 24th 2018 by random generator.

HOW TO ENTER: Head over to this Facebook post to join in the fun.

Good luck!

The British School in Tokyo
Shibuya Gymnasium
5-6pm Faculty shopping
6-8.30pm BST Community and friends

Curated by Bikudesigns and Turquoise Port

Bikudesigns: Vintage kimono jewellery
Turquoise Port: Home Decor
Erica Ward Illustration: Art
Ciaolink: Art
From Juju With Love: Art
Kamihoseki: Origami jewellery
Anne-Marie Peters Ceramics
A Joy to Behold: Soaps, scrubs and soaps
Jikuu: Artisan-made Japanese cooking knives
Eco Hachi Living: Wax wraps
Swan and Lion: British food including mince pies
Ring and Wraps: cashmere wraps and scarves
Mamam Leatherwork: Handcrafted leather bags
Paradiddle: prints and bags
Vintage Kimonos: accessories and bags
Noox: toys, bags and pouches
Kintsugi: Hand created home decor pieces
Kodomo Paradis: Hand printed tees for kid and adults

This year I made the decision to offer plastic-free packaging at Bikudesigns inspired by the efforts our family has been making to reduce our plastic consumption. 

If you see bubble-wrap in your parcel, you can guarantee that it is recycled, perhaps a few times over. All jewellery is wrapped in a sheet of tissue paper, packaged in small paper bags or paper boxes lined with tissue paper. If you would like a recycled magazine  envelope please request this at checkout. At in-person events, I'm happy to hand your jewellery over to you to wear or put in your own bag. And I will ask you if you need one of my bags if you have bought a few items...and those bags are made of paper with paper handles.
Thank you to Jo at the Tokyo Chapter for recognising my small efforts to make my business greener. If you haven't read her blog, it's a must read for everyone in Tokyo, with or without kids and anyone getting ready to visit.
Read The Tokyo Chapter blog post here.

Photo credit: Johanna MacGregor

I'm three years in to my business relaunch and things are getting bigger and growing fast. I now have to make sure that I am covering all my costs as well as being paid for my time.

Buying a piece of my jewellery isn't just the raw materials and the time it takes me to make it. The hours of design, discarded prototypes, sourcing fabrics, travel expenses, IT equipment, packaging supplies, website hosting, accountancy fees,  utilities, studio rental not to mention the hours of training I have undergone (and  the money I've invested) to develop the skills to make the finished item.

I have known for some time that my business model didn't make very much sense. Why was I selling a bespoke piece (designed with the customer, emails going backwards and forwards, pulling out kimono silks and making a single piece at a time) for the same price as one I made in a batch of 10 (which is a far more ergonomic production model)? 

In the next few weeks I'll be rolling out online bespoke packages (the elite line of Bikudesigns) for you to order directly. I'm trying hard to streamline the process, and I realise that the new pricing structure may be too expensive for some. But I believe I am now charging the correct price  for my exclusive work.

You can still buy off the rack for cheaper than the bespoke line, and cheaper still in the VIP Club. But if you are in the market for something exclusive, designed with you, FOR you, then the bespoke package is for you. And if it's not for you then,  I hope you find something you love somewhere else (hopefully in my VIP Club).