TATZUについて | 着物のリメイク。生まれ変わるアイデンティティ。
Transforming kimono into clothing for the next era.
Remade Kimono. Reborn Identity.
TATZU is a brand that dismantles vintage Japanese kimonos and reconstructs them into contemporary fashion.
Rather than preserving kimonos as they are, we inherit their materials, patterns, techniques, and traces of time, breathing them into clothing for the modern day.
We design each piece individually—from pattern-making to motif placement—fusing avant-garde and street-mode aesthetics with a Japanese sensibility.
TATZU calls this unique style NEO SAMURAI.
From Japan to Phnom Penh.
From Phnom Penh to the world.
01 — NEO SAMURAI
Remade Kimono × Modern Street.
Tradition Reconstructed.
TATZU aims for more than just "kimono upcycling."
We do not simply convert the shape of a kimono into Western clothing; we interpret the material and patterns of each piece, redesigning the very structure to suit modern apparel.
Tradition and street.
Stillness and rebellion.
Japan and the world.
By allowing opposites to coexist within a single garment, we transform them into a new identity.
That is TATZU’s NEO SAMURAI.
［View NEO SAMURAI COLLECTION →］
02 — WHY VINTAGE KIMONO
It all begins with a single kimono.
For TATZU, vintage kimonos are not merely "old clothes."
They represent the artisan’s craft, regional culture, the aesthetics of an era,
and the time someone spent wearing them.
They are materials layered with history—one-of-a-kind resources that can never be replicated.
TATZU continuously sources vintage kimonos through Japan’s reuse networks.
Kurotomesode, furisode, homongi, komon, tsumugi, haori, yukata, and obi.
Every color, pattern, fabric, and condition is unique.
This is why every piece of clothing we create from them is also unique.
No two garments are ever the same.
Being one-of-a-kind is not a marketing gimmick to create exclusivity.
The material itself is one-of-a-kind.
［Vintage Kimono | View Material Supply →］
03 — DESIGN IS CONSTRUCTION
Design begins with the pattern.
At TATZU, we do not separate design from pattern-making.
Tatsu, who serves as both designer and pattern maker, constructs the form of each garment while considering the silhouette, volume, structure, and movement when worn.
When working with vintage kimonos, there is one more vital design element:
Motif placement.
Motif Placement
Which part of the kimono's design is placed where on the garment?
What do we highlight on the chest?
How do we connect the front and back patterns?
How do we balance the left and right?
Because each kimono is unique, even the same pattern will result in a completely different garment.
Designing both the pattern and the motif placement.
This is the core of TATZU’s craftsmanship.
04 — FROM KIMONO TO TATZU
Considered one by one, crafted one by one.
01｜SELECT
Selecting vintage kimonos
02｜PREPARATION
Dismantling, cleaning, ironing, and material prep
03｜DESIGN & PATTERN
Design and pattern drafting
04｜MOTIF PLACEMENT & CUTTING
Motif placement, pattern matching, and cutting
05｜SEWING & EMBROIDERY
Sewing and embroidery as needed
06｜FINISHING & INSPECTION
Final finishing, inspection, and completion
Vintage materials differ in every single piece.
Therefore, TATZU’s craftsmanship is not mass production prioritized by efficiency.
We look at the material and consider its potential.
We look at the pattern and place it with intent.
We construct the form to ensure it functions as clothing.
And we finish every piece one by one until the very end.
From old kimonos to new clothing.
Every step of this process is, in itself, TATZU’s design.
［Learn more about Custom Made and our production process →］
05 — BUILT IN PHNOM PENH
Craftsmanship foundations built over 10+ years.
TATZU’s production base is Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
At the TATZU Atelier, we conduct the core steps of our craftsmanship: design, pattern making, product development, motif placement, and client consultations.
We then collaborate with our long-term partner studios for cutting, sewing, and finishing.
Our current production network involves 3 pattern makers and approximately 25 sewing staff, with in-house embroidery capabilities.
From one-of-a-kind pieces to custom-made projects and small-lot OEM/ODM manufacturing.
Over the past decade, we have built a production foundation that consistently supports every step from design to final product.
TATZU is not just a brand that dreams up designs.
We are a brand that maintains deep relationships with the places and people who actually create our work.
06 — THE DESIGNER
Tatsu Otsuka
Founder / Designer / Pattern Maker
After studying textiles and fashion in Japan, I gained experience in materials and fashion business at a Japanese textile trading company.
I later left Japan for India, where I lived for about three years.
Engaging with the origins of textiles, dyeing, and handicrafts, I re-examined fashion from the perspective of its material foundation.
I then spent about a year in Europe, experiencing an environment where design, branding, and fashion thrive as an integral culture.
And then, I arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
JAPAN
Textiles, garment construction, and the textile business.
INDIA
Materials, dyeing, handicrafts, and the roots of craftsmanship.
EUROPE
The culture of fashion, design, and branding.
CAMBODIA
The production foundation built over a decade, and TATZU.
Experiences gained in different countries intersect within a single garment.
As a Japanese person looking at the kimono, I create clothing that could not have been born in Japan alone.
That is the foundation of Tatsu’s design.
07 — BUILT OVER TIME
TATZU is not a brand that was born in a day.
Based in Phnom Penh, TATZU has been creating clothing for over 10 years.
One-of-a-kind production.
Custom-made.
Collaborative product development with brands and companies.
Runways.
Media features.
Customers across the globe.
Today’s TATZU is the result of years of steady, one-by-one effort.
SELECTED MILESTONES
10+ YEARS IN PHNOM PENH
Building our brand and production network with a base in Phnom Penh.
RUNWAY — SOFITEL PHNOM PENH
Presenting the TATZU collection at major events.
TELEVISION & MEDIA
Sharing TATZU’s craftsmanship through television and media.
BRAND & CORPORATE PROJECTS
Costume production, product development, and collaborations with companies and brands.
CUSTOM WORKS
Crafting special, one-off projects for individual clients.
WORN WORLDWIDE
From Japan and Cambodia to the rest of the world.
08 — MORE THAN A FASHION LABEL
What TATZU can do.
ONE-OF-A-KIND COLLECTION
TATZU’s unique collection created from Japanese vintage kimonos.
CUSTOM MADE
A garment made for you—based on your vision, materials, and measurements.
OEM / ODM
Supporting brand and corporate product development—from design and patterns to small-lot production.
WHOLESALE
Bringing unique TATZU products to shops around the world.
VINTAGE KIMONO SUPPLY
Supplying vintage Japanese kimonos, haori, and obi to brands, designers, and creators.
Buying clothes.
Crafting a garment.
Creating together as a brand.
Offering products in shops.
Giving birth to something new from vintage materials.
We are connecting the resources TATZU has cultivated over 10+ years to the world in various forms.
09 — WORN WORLDWIDE
From Phnom Penh to the World.
TATZU’s garments travel from our Phnom Penh atelier to the rest of the world.
People of different countries, ages, and styles wear TATZU in their own unique way.
The moment a piece is completed is not the end of its life.
The next chapter of the garment begins the moment it is chosen and worn by someone.
Made in Phnom Penh. Worn Worldwide.
H2｜10 — THE NEXT CHAPTER
From a Small Atelier to the World.
TATZU started from a small atelier.
However, our vision extends far beyond that.
Vintage kimonos sleeping in Japan.
The craftsmanship we’ve built in Phnom Penh.
And the world of fashion.
By connecting these, we are taking TATZU to the next stage.
We are currently looking for new opportunities to collaborate with companies, creators, and business partners to grow the brand on a global scale.
More than capital. The right partnership.
11 — TATZU PHILOSOPHY
Remade Kimono. Reborn Identity.
Not just preserving culture, but wearing it into the future.
In Japan, there are kimonos that have served their purpose and now lie dormant, though they remain beautiful.
TATZU’s goal is not merely to preserve them as artifacts of the past.
We dismantle, reflect, and reconstruct.
By having modern individuals wear them once again, we allow them to be reborn with new value and a new identity.
Culture will not survive into the future just by being preserved.
It is passed on by being worn and reborn through new forms of expression by people living in the present.
TATZU breathes the beauty and spirit of the kimono
Into clothing for the next era.
TATZU
Remade Kimono. Reborn Identity.
FINAL CTA
TATZU and your next garment.
Choose a TATZU garment.
Create your own one-of-a-kind piece.
Start a new project with us.
