SHIMOKAWA TAILOR is a clothing company that specializes in sailor-style clothing, school uniforms, seifuku, and scarves for cats and dogs located in Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan. Founded in 2014 by Kana Shimokawa. We have an atelier and there are six expert tailors have been making beautiful garments for the last 20-50 years . These tailors specialize in techniques specific to sewing sailor-style uniforms (sailor-fuku "セーラー服" ) in a variety of styles. 

Meet Kana

I am born and raised in Kakogawa, and Kobe, where are west part of Japan. I lived in a house only 10 seconds away from an atelier. I sometimes go to the atelier from a school directly to see my mom who was a tailor and pattern maker. The tailors are always around me and I naturally admired tailors' skills. My grand father started a school uniform company, SHIMOKAWA CO., Ltd, more than fifty years ago in Kakogawa, a small city of  Hyogo, Japan.
 He created the atelier and a small retail store. 


A Cultural Fair in Seattle, U.S.

After I graduated from a University, I worked in a few companies in Japan, and U.S. as a buyer, merchandiser, e-commerce consultant, and shipping director. Then, I started to think about how can I do with my family business since I am only child. Actually, I was not interested in a school uniform business first. Instead, I was more interested in talking and communication with foreigners using English. But, I wanted to share these beautiful authentic sailor-style clothing made by tailors to people all over the world. But I didn't know how. Later, I got an opportunity to go to Seattle and do some marketing research about school uniforms in the U.S. Recently at a Japanese Cultural Fair in Seattle and Kumoricon in Portland OR, I met many people who were interested in genuine Japanese seifuku like those worn in popular anime. Most of people said they have never seen  authentic school uniforms(seifuku). When they tried our uniforms on they looked so bright and happy! They admired how neat and well-made our genuine Japanese seifuku are. I was completely surprised and inspired to make sailor-style clothes available to as many people as possible!
Then I opened a SHIMOKAWA TAILOR on Etsy.

About SHIMOKAWA CO., Ltd

After world war Ⅱ, in 1922 in Japan, we had social gaps from poverty to richness. Some of the family could not afford to buy their children's clothes. That is why, sometimes children had been bullied just because they are not clean and tidy in appearance. Therefore, the founder Takaichi Shimokawa had started to handcraft school uniforms in order to less the gaps in Kakogawa. Since we had started our business, we always have had a passion for communicating with local residents.

Japanese school uniforms history

The history of school uniforms goes back to before the world warⅡ. 
The Japanese government had started to adopt boys' school uniforms  in 1873 consists of a military style uniform. 
Then, they had started to adopt  girls' school uniforms in 1920 
consists of a sailor style uniform.