Since she discovered them, Nadine Labedade has been working particularly on fabrics which come from Japan. These rolled-up fabrics used for making kimonos are 12 metres long and 35 to 38 centimetres wide (1 and 2). Not one single centimetre of fabric is lost insofar as a kimono is the result of some codified assembling of strips. The extraordinary quality of textures, patterns, colours and weaving make these textiles look like objects of admiration (3, 4, 5 and 6). Made of printed or woven silk or wool, they are characterized by specific printing or weaving techniques (bingata, shibori, kasuri, tsumugi, chirimen…). Their small width forces Nadine Labedade on obvious constraints in designing shapes which are most often close-fitting, but also loose or cut sideways, with no relation at all with the making of a kimono. Yet these constraints are really stimulating for her as a designer ( 7 and 8 )
