Green Awakening

Stitching new life into old kimonos

Home-grown brand Syne repurposes second-hand kimonos from Japan into new garments or other lifestyle items

Designers Eshton Chua (far left) and Suffian Samat (left) with restored kimonos. Working with other brands, they have also created items from old fabrics, such as roll-up pouches (top) for skincare brand Aesop and placemats (above) for Cloudstreet re
Designers Eshton Chua (left) and Suffian Samat (right) with restored kimonos. PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG, SYNE
Working with other brands, they have also created items from old fabrics, such as roll-up pouches (above) for skincare brand Aesop and placemats for Cloudstreet restaurant. PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG, SYNE
Designers Eshton Chua (far left) and Suffian Samat (left) with restored kimonos. Working with other brands, they have also created items from old fabrics, such as roll-up pouches (top) for skincare brand Aesop and placemats (above) for Cloudstreet re
Working with other brands, they have also created items from old fabrics, such as roll-up pouches for skincare brand Aesop and placemats (above) for Cloudstreet restaurant. PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG, SYNE
Amanda Chai
Updated
Published
May 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM
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You probably will not find two men in Singapore more obsessed with kimonos than Mr Suffian Samat, 28, and Mr Eshton Chua, 27.

The seamsters behind sustainable brand Syne rework second-hand kimonos and other traditional Japanese garments for a living.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 14, 2021, with the headline Stitching new life into old kimonos. Subscribe

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