Keita Motoji (泉二啓太, Motoji Keita, born 1984) is a Japanese Kimono retailer.[1] Keita directs the kimono brand Ginza Motoji, founded by his father in 1974.[2][3]

Keita Motoji
泉二啓太
Born27 August 1984
Tokyo, Japan
OccupationKimono Retailer
Known forDirector of Ginza Motoji
Websitemotoji.co.jp

Early life and education

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Keita attended Taimei Elementary School in Ginza,[4] and studied fashion in the London College of Fashion. He then lived in Paris for a year, before returning to Japan in 2008 after 6 years abroad.[5]

Ginza Motoji

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Keita joined Ginza Motoji in 2009, and took over the company as director in 2022.[6]

Since 2015, Keita has directed the biannual Men's Kimono Collection, roughly coinciding with the western fashion season cycle. The collections are based on various themes, but often include themes of Japanese fashion history and the history of Ginza.[7][8]

Keita has led many different collaborations with contemporary designers and artists, notably Tsurutaro Kataoka in 2023. [9][10] In 2023, Keita launched Deichu no Gin(Fabric from the Mud), a collection as part of Hiraki Project, with the dyer Yukihito Kanai and weaver Shinya Yanagi. Fabric woven by Yanagi was dyed with different natural dyes, including mud and indigo by Kanai. [11]

Philanthropy

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Keita and the Ginza Motoji team annually conduct willow dyeing workshops at Taimei Elementary School, Keita's alma mater. They teach the students how to produce dye from the willow tree, and dye the fabric. They also host a lesson teaching the children history of the willow tree in Ginza. The fabric is dyed using willow gathered from the school grounds and nearby areas.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "東京・銀座で「着物と柳」の伝統を継ぐ呉服店の奮闘 | 地域活性化の挑戦者たち | 櫻田弘文". 毎日新聞「経済プレミア」.
  2. ^ "銀座の呉服店経営 駆け抜けた42年195日 マラソン選手の夢破れ創業<マイストーリー>:東京新聞 TOKYO Web". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web.
  3. ^ "《トップに聞く》銀座もとじ社長 泉二啓太氏 留学で見直した日本文化 | 繊研新聞". senken.co.jp.
  4. ^ "「銀座の柳」で草木染 呉服店が銀座・泰明小学校で課外授業:朝日新聞デジタル". 朝日新聞デジタル. 29 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Interview with Keita Motoji". Silver Magazine.
  6. ^ "男のきものオリジナルコレクション". 銀座もとじオンラインショップ.
  7. ^ "Men's Original Collection 2023 F/W "1923"". 銀座もとじオンラインショップ.
  8. ^ "Men's Kimono; Otoko-no-Kimono". 銀座もとじオンラインショップ.
  9. ^ "多芸多才の芸術家・片岡鶴太郎氏が初めて手掛ける"男の粋" 唯一無二の「額裏」限定15点を特別展示". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1|PR TIMES. 31 August 2023.
  10. ^ 明子, 重松 (14 October 2023). "【近ごろ都に流行るもの】「男こそ着物を! 呉服店若社長の挑戦(上)」鶴太郎氏が初「額裏」制作 粋を身にまとう". 産経新聞:産経ニュース.
  11. ^ "Deichu no Gin". 銀座もとじオンラインショップ.
  12. ^ "銀座もとじ「銀座の柳染 課外授業」を銀座唯一の泰明小学校で実施―草木染めを通じた環境教育と地域貢献活動を推進―". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1|PR TIMES. 21 May 2024.