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AOI

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Born in Japan to a French mother and Japanese father, Tatsuki Takino enjoyed a childhood in Japan, with an adolescence in Paris.  After studying at the prestigious Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris, he worked as a model on the runways of Paris, Tokyo and Milan, helping to form and inform his sense of taste and style as well as to develop an appreciation for beautiful fabrics and workmanship.  Frustrated with never totally liking others designs, combined with his taste for eccentric outfits and an intense desire to create, Takino formed the habit of customizing and transforming his own clothes.

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Gathering technicians and talent around him, Takino founded The Collective of Designers Tengu Karasu in 2003, to help realize his own creative ideas, followed by the launch of AOI in 2005.  Using only the kimono as raw material, AOI developed into a full women’s collection of day to eveningwear. Drawing from his own origins in Japan, he brings new life to vintage kimonos through his contemporary and wearable collections.  Each item is made from and authentic, ancient, one hundred percent silk kimono.  Reinterpreting the kimono into a precious and contemporary garment, each item is numbered like a fine art reproduction or print.  Takino also engages in the “Proclamation of Ethical Fashion”, which requires the respecting of workers conditions in accordance with the conventions of the International Working Organization.

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Website: www.aoiclothing.com