Riku Haori Duster photo shoot with Kennedi Carter

Riku Haori Duster Collection photographed by Kennedi Carter. Modeled by Cassie Rowe.

Riku has many meanings in Japanese, including: Wise Sky, and Land. It is pronounced REE-KOO w/ a soft “R”. Riku is an Unisex Japanese name, one of the main reasons I chose it for this garment.

Simple silhouettes, bold colors, textured fabric, and pockets are a apart of each handmade garment.

In this new collection, hand dyed fabrics are color blocked and stitched from double woven organic cotton gauze, meant to be worn casually and formally. The Haori design inspiration comes from the open jackets worn over kimono, from Japanese culture, pre-dating the 1800s. Haori can be worn by all genders, with varying degrees of formality and warmth. This collection of light weight haoris have been an evolution of past Kimono Robe designs, and we aren’t using the word “kimono” to describe this garment since the design has been so trimmed down that it doesn’t have much for me to reference it’s original design muse. In the future, we will bring larger sleeves and some wrap designs back, but for now, this collection is inspired by the everyday wearability of these jackets. Each haori will be made to order (3-4 week turn around), hand dyed and sewn in River’s Durham studio. Pre-orders are now open and are limited. There will be another pre-order time in April ‘20, but if you would like these for spring, order now! This garment is available in all sizes.

BTS Fact: We shot these photos back in Summer 2019. I wanted to release this collection last fall, but life de-railed me from that plan. I am so excited to finally share these photos and start taking custom orders!
Here are some behind-the-scene photos I took during the shoot.

Riku Haori Duster Collection photographed by Kennedi Carter. You’ve see her work here on our website, Jewelry from 2018, at 21C, in Ebony Magazine and many other publications. We are thrilled to be able to work with such an amazing talent!

During this photoshoot in The Mill at Golden Belt, we also shot the Sorcererx Kimono Robe. This Kimono is heavily inspired by Japanese Shinto Sorcery known as, Onmyōdo. Onmyōdo is defined as the Japanese esoteric cosmology and astronomy. It also involves the art of practicing magic and divination. I also drew lots of inspiration from modern day Hollywood depictions of these Asian Sorcerers, wearing exaggerated sleeves and silk robes in all sorts of situations, not just limited to religious or formal occasions. The Sorcererx Kimono can be worn as an everyday garment with the embodiment of power and self love, and it can be worn by all genders. This robe shown has been sold, but you can order a custom Sorcererx Kimono in a color way of your choice.