*commonthreads triumphs in Tokyo

High-fashion charity event *commonthreads was a sell-out success in Japan’s fashion capital on the 15th of October.

Over two thousand people bought tickets and attended the glamorous event held under the stars in the courtyard of the beautiful Kanda Miyojin shrine in Tokyo on a Friday night.

Some of Japan's most exciting cutting-edge designers were asked to deconstruct, redesign, reinvent and revamp vintage Japanese kimonos, turning them into everything from catwalk concept-art to practical and wearable items.

To the muscular rhythms of a large group of Japanese Taiko drummers, catwalk models and dancers showcased the designs while acrobats, martial artists, fire jugglers, DJs, and video artists entertained the enthusiastic crowd in between sets.

Seventy of the designs shown on the night are for sale by auction at the Bidders Japan online auction website. Bidders are one of Japan’s biggest online auction sites and were a keen supporter of the event.

 The event was a collaborative effort between *commonthreads Japan and the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), which will utilise the proceeds to fund land mine removal projects in Afghanistan. AAR Japan also sourced and provided all kimonos used by the designers.

The show received very good coverage in the Japanese media, including a front page in the arts and entertainment section of Saturday morning's Sankei Shimbun (circulation approximately 3 million).

Said self-described "fashion fanatic", Akiko Matsuka, who works for a Tokyo publishing company, "I think some of the designs were very useable, very wearable, which surprised me. The money’s going to a very good cause too."

Yuki Maejima, a government worker in Tokyo, said that the show was "really shocking. I grew up in a typical Japanese family and I never thought a kimono could be changed in that way. I was shocked, but in a good way. It was a really nice surprise."

She said the show was "very well organised and beautifully realised".

The concept for *commonthreads originated with former Australian advertising art director, Emma King (now London-based) who was looking for a way to combine a passion for design with the desire to do something for others.

The first *commonthreads was held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2002, using forty second-hand men's business shirts from the St Vincent de Paul charity stores. Forty top Australian fashion and mixed media designers revamped the shirts and the results were auctioned at a highly successful event for 1,500 leading lights of the fashion, media and design industries.

*commonthreads has now gone international. Tokyo was the first of this year’s three events, and *commonthreads will run shows in London on 11 November and Brisbane on 24 November.