Simona D: the Neapolitan kimono that enchants the "world"
There is a corner of Naples where sartorial tradition meets oriental sophistication, giving life to unique garments that speak of beauty, identity and passion. This is the world of Simona D., a brand that has made the kimono the symbol of boundless elegance, capable of harmoniously blending Japanese culture with the taste and style of Western fashion.
The brand's creative philosophy is based on a clear vision: to reinterpret an iconic garment of Japanese tradition - the kimono - through the filter of Neapolitan craftsmanship, with absolute attention to detail, quality of materials and the personality of the wearer. Each kimono is in fact designed to be a work of art to be worn on the body, a garment that tells a story and celebrates individuality.
Production is entirely by hand, thanks to a team of expert seamstresses working in the Neapolitan tailoring tradition. Precise cuts, invisible stitching, finishing touches taken care of in every detail: each garment is the fruit of an ancient knowledge that has been handed down for generations. The choice of fabrics is fundamental: light silks, precious velvets, natural cottons and technical fabrics alternate according to the season, offering comfort and refinement all year round.
The collections are divided into summer and winter kimonos, but the brand also offers a growing range of dresses and accessories that complete the Simona D universe. Each garment is designed to enhance the femininity and strength of the wearer, with flowing lines, versatile cuts, and a color palette ranging from neutral tones to bold patterns.
"We want to create garments that make women feel unique, free, beautiful," says the founder. Ours is a work done with love, which starts from listening and comes down to the choice of the last button." And it is precisely this philosophy that has won an ever-growing audience: young women, mature women, curious women, travelers, artists, entrepreneurs. Each finds in Simona D.'s kimonos a piece that speaks of her. Even the packaging reflects the care and attention that distinguishes the brand: most of the garments are delivered in delightful reusable cloth bags, designed to be used in everyday life as cases, purses or simple decorative objects. A gesture that combines aesthetics, sustainability and practicality.
Today Simona D. is present in the best boutiques in Italy, with a selected distribution that privileges high quality and consistency with the brand's values. In Naples, kimonos can be found at Zao Store, in Piazza Vanvitelli, and in the fixed space at Mabruk, in Vico Belle Donne 14, two symbolic addresses of research fashion in the Campania capital.
2025 marks a new important milestone for the brand: Simona D., which was a huge success at the participation of the "Meet Italian Brands 2025" event, held March 24-26 at the Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples. This is a fair of international importance, promoted by the Campania Region, which aims to enhance and internationalize the territory's excellence in the fashion sector.
To have been chosen through a selective call for entries is a source of pride for us," explains the designer. "It is the confirmation that one can do business starting from one's own territory, with an authentic vision, respectful of one's roots but capable of looking far ahead. Participation in the event represents not only an opportunity for visibility, but also a concrete opportunity to open up to new foreign markets and collaborations with buyers, concept stores and international media.
The brand is therefore preparing to bring its new collection to the runway, which promises to be a tribute to timeless beauty, lightness, and feminine strength. A journey that starts from the heart of Naples and reaches far away, thanks to a kimono that is not just a garment, but a declaration of identity.
Simona D. is much more than a brand: it is a cultural project, it is contemporary craftsmanship, it is fashion with soul.
Source: donnafashionnews.co.uk
The brand's creative philosophy is based on a clear vision: to reinterpret an iconic garment of Japanese tradition - the kimono - through the filter of Neapolitan craftsmanship, with absolute attention to detail, quality of materials and the personality of the wearer. Each kimono is in fact designed to be a work of art to be worn on the body, a garment that tells a story and celebrates individuality.
Production is entirely by hand, thanks to a team of expert seamstresses working in the Neapolitan tailoring tradition. Precise cuts, invisible stitching, finishing touches taken care of in every detail: each garment is the fruit of an ancient knowledge that has been handed down for generations. The choice of fabrics is fundamental: light silks, precious velvets, natural cottons and technical fabrics alternate according to the season, offering comfort and refinement all year round.
The collections are divided into summer and winter kimonos, but the brand also offers a growing range of dresses and accessories that complete the Simona D universe. Each garment is designed to enhance the femininity and strength of the wearer, with flowing lines, versatile cuts, and a color palette ranging from neutral tones to bold patterns.
"We want to create garments that make women feel unique, free, beautiful," says the founder. Ours is a work done with love, which starts from listening and comes down to the choice of the last button." And it is precisely this philosophy that has won an ever-growing audience: young women, mature women, curious women, travelers, artists, entrepreneurs. Each finds in Simona D.'s kimonos a piece that speaks of her. Even the packaging reflects the care and attention that distinguishes the brand: most of the garments are delivered in delightful reusable cloth bags, designed to be used in everyday life as cases, purses or simple decorative objects. A gesture that combines aesthetics, sustainability and practicality.
Today Simona D. is present in the best boutiques in Italy, with a selected distribution that privileges high quality and consistency with the brand's values. In Naples, kimonos can be found at Zao Store, in Piazza Vanvitelli, and in the fixed space at Mabruk, in Vico Belle Donne 14, two symbolic addresses of research fashion in the Campania capital.
2025 marks a new important milestone for the brand: Simona D., which was a huge success at the participation of the "Meet Italian Brands 2025" event, held March 24-26 at the Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples. This is a fair of international importance, promoted by the Campania Region, which aims to enhance and internationalize the territory's excellence in the fashion sector.
To have been chosen through a selective call for entries is a source of pride for us," explains the designer. "It is the confirmation that one can do business starting from one's own territory, with an authentic vision, respectful of one's roots but capable of looking far ahead. Participation in the event represents not only an opportunity for visibility, but also a concrete opportunity to open up to new foreign markets and collaborations with buyers, concept stores and international media.
The brand is therefore preparing to bring its new collection to the runway, which promises to be a tribute to timeless beauty, lightness, and feminine strength. A journey that starts from the heart of Naples and reaches far away, thanks to a kimono that is not just a garment, but a declaration of identity.
Simona D. is much more than a brand: it is a cultural project, it is contemporary craftsmanship, it is fashion with soul.
Source: donnafashionnews.co.uk
Japanese Kimonos and their influence on Western fashion
The Japanese kimono originated about 1,300 years ago as a garment of Japanese culture. Originally it was different, then as the centuries passed it evolved to the current version.
The term Kimono means a thing to wear, in fact in the past this word was used to refer to any dress without distinction: today, however, it refers to a dress typical of the land of the rising sun.
Unworn, it is shaped like a distinct T and is composed of several pieces, all rectangular, made from a single roll of cloth usually silk or brocade, called tan, with handmade seams all straight with a few small curves at the neck, with no buttons or zippers.
One of the peculiarities is that women's kimonos do not exist in various sizes; rather, they come in one size, and in order to fit the stature of the woman wearing it, a fold is made at the waist called ohashori, which is then covered by the obi, or the high bands that act as a belt.
Kimonos are decorated either with paintings directly on the cloth or with embroideries, using various techniques depending on the type and prestige of the kimono.
It should be noted that the front flaps should be closed by overlapping the left side on the right, the 'opposite custom is used in Japan only for the deceased.
The birth of Japanese kimonogiais in the Nara period (710 -784), that is, when the influence of Chinese culture began to expand into Japan, also influencing the fashion of the time.
Gradually then Japan customized them thus giving rise to the 12-layer kimono that weighed as much as 20 kilograms although in reality the layers were not 12 but could vary more or less.
This particular dress is a mix therefore between Chinese and Japanese culture and was worn on formal occasions of imperial court rituals or ceremonies.
Over time there have been many evolutions of the kimono until the introduction of the obi, or belt, led to the modern kimono for both women and men.
Men's kimono follow one style, are always dark in color, such as black, gray, brown, and sometimes have small decorations, with shorter sleeves than women's and sewn to the main body except at the end; they have no folds at the waist, and theobi is put on the hips and not at the waist as for women.
Women's kimonos, on the other hand, have many styles, and the more formal ones consist of many more pieces; usually at least 12, and it is very difficult to wear one without the 'help of another person.
There are different types such as, for example, the Furisode, a kimono worn by single women during a formal and elegant event such as a party, a wedding.
This type of kimono has very long sleeves, reaching almost to the ankle, and its color gradually becomes duller and duller as the single girl ages.
A very special curiosity is that, in ancient Japan, waving the sleeves of this type of kimono before a boy symbolized the girl's love for him. This courtship technique was considered very attractive, but if the wearer of such a kimono was a married woman, then it was considered unworthy as it signified the woman's desire to betray her husband.
This logic is still present today in modern Japan, although it is not unusual to see many married women wearing it.
There are various types of kimonos for various occasions. It is really fascinating to walk the streets of Kioto and meet a real geisha wearing a kimono, but it is also very difficult to cross paths with them.
The 'influence of the kimono in Western fashion is due to famous Japanese designers who have presented them on the world's most important catwalks, such as: Issey Miyake, Rey Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto.
Over the centuries the kimono has thus evolved, establishing a bridge between East and West, even to the point of becoming part of the fabric of several contemporary societies.
Various museums around the world have told the story of the Kimono, such as at the Metropolitan Museum in New York titled the Weber Collection, which was on display until February this year.
Today, the Kimono is a very fashionable garment all over the world, especially in the last couple of years there has been a ver just boom and so many clothing firms have created and launched this new garment that is created in different fabrics, in different patterns and lengths and can be worn in various ways and have different uses: evening dress, duster, cover-up and in winter as a headdress. It is a very fascinating and innovative fashion idea that intrigues and excites women all over the world.
by Simona Di Martino
Source: ilbugiardino.eu
The term Kimono means a thing to wear, in fact in the past this word was used to refer to any dress without distinction: today, however, it refers to a dress typical of the land of the rising sun.
Unworn, it is shaped like a distinct T and is composed of several pieces, all rectangular, made from a single roll of cloth usually silk or brocade, called tan, with handmade seams all straight with a few small curves at the neck, with no buttons or zippers.
One of the peculiarities is that women's kimonos do not exist in various sizes; rather, they come in one size, and in order to fit the stature of the woman wearing it, a fold is made at the waist called ohashori, which is then covered by the obi, or the high bands that act as a belt.
Kimonos are decorated either with paintings directly on the cloth or with embroideries, using various techniques depending on the type and prestige of the kimono.
It should be noted that the front flaps should be closed by overlapping the left side on the right, the 'opposite custom is used in Japan only for the deceased.
The birth of Japanese kimonogiais in the Nara period (710 -784), that is, when the influence of Chinese culture began to expand into Japan, also influencing the fashion of the time.
Gradually then Japan customized them thus giving rise to the 12-layer kimono that weighed as much as 20 kilograms although in reality the layers were not 12 but could vary more or less.
This particular dress is a mix therefore between Chinese and Japanese culture and was worn on formal occasions of imperial court rituals or ceremonies.
Over time there have been many evolutions of the kimono until the introduction of the obi, or belt, led to the modern kimono for both women and men.
Men's kimono follow one style, are always dark in color, such as black, gray, brown, and sometimes have small decorations, with shorter sleeves than women's and sewn to the main body except at the end; they have no folds at the waist, and theobi is put on the hips and not at the waist as for women.
Women's kimonos, on the other hand, have many styles, and the more formal ones consist of many more pieces; usually at least 12, and it is very difficult to wear one without the 'help of another person.
There are different types such as, for example, the Furisode, a kimono worn by single women during a formal and elegant event such as a party, a wedding.
This type of kimono has very long sleeves, reaching almost to the ankle, and its color gradually becomes duller and duller as the single girl ages.
A very special curiosity is that, in ancient Japan, waving the sleeves of this type of kimono before a boy symbolized the girl's love for him. This courtship technique was considered very attractive, but if the wearer of such a kimono was a married woman, then it was considered unworthy as it signified the woman's desire to betray her husband.
This logic is still present today in modern Japan, although it is not unusual to see many married women wearing it.
There are various types of kimonos for various occasions. It is really fascinating to walk the streets of Kioto and meet a real geisha wearing a kimono, but it is also very difficult to cross paths with them.
The 'influence of the kimono in Western fashion is due to famous Japanese designers who have presented them on the world's most important catwalks, such as: Issey Miyake, Rey Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto.
Over the centuries the kimono has thus evolved, establishing a bridge between East and West, even to the point of becoming part of the fabric of several contemporary societies.
Various museums around the world have told the story of the Kimono, such as at the Metropolitan Museum in New York titled the Weber Collection, which was on display until February this year.
Today, the Kimono is a very fashionable garment all over the world, especially in the last couple of years there has been a ver just boom and so many clothing firms have created and launched this new garment that is created in different fabrics, in different patterns and lengths and can be worn in various ways and have different uses: evening dress, duster, cover-up and in winter as a headdress. It is a very fascinating and innovative fashion idea that intrigues and excites women all over the world.
by Simona Di Martino
Source: ilbugiardino.eu
Interview with Simona D: designer who revolutionized fashion without boundaries
When was this passion of yours for fashion born?
My passion is to create wearable art and poetry, during a 2018 trip to Japan I was fascinated by the culture there and the taste of the Japanese in traditional fashion, and so, inspired by the Japanese obi belts, the bands that geishas wear around their waists on kimonos, the idea was born to create handmade sashes using fine fabrics, such as silk, tafta, and cashmere, adapting them to the Western world.
How did the first collection of the Simona D brand come about?
In 2018 with the launch of the first winter collection.Over the years, the Simona D. catalog has expanded by offering not only kimonos and sashes, but also beach bags, evening purses, blouses in velvet, cotton and linen, and stoles, resulting in products with a strong, versatile and quality identity.I love my work, when I create a garment I always think about comfort in wearing it, because the woman must feel comfortable, and elegance, which must characterize both a young woman and more adult ladies. In addition, I am always careful in the choice of fabrics, which must be fine, comfortable and easily washable, and in the search for details, because a classy woman looks for particularity in every form.
Do you have a highly qualified staff for very fine clothes?
The workmanship of the various products in the collections is done by a team of seamstresses strictly by hand, respecting the Neapolitan tradition, from fabric cutting to stitching. The first stage is the selection of fabrics and product designs for the different categories; we then proceed by making paper patterns and thus produce the garments, which I personally supervise by making changes and corrections to achieve an article without imperfections.
Edited by Michele Romano
Source: donnafashionnews.co.uk
Source: caprieventi.it
Source: reportcampania.it
My passion is to create wearable art and poetry, during a 2018 trip to Japan I was fascinated by the culture there and the taste of the Japanese in traditional fashion, and so, inspired by the Japanese obi belts, the bands that geishas wear around their waists on kimonos, the idea was born to create handmade sashes using fine fabrics, such as silk, tafta, and cashmere, adapting them to the Western world.
How did the first collection of the Simona D brand come about?
In 2018 with the launch of the first winter collection.Over the years, the Simona D. catalog has expanded by offering not only kimonos and sashes, but also beach bags, evening purses, blouses in velvet, cotton and linen, and stoles, resulting in products with a strong, versatile and quality identity.I love my work, when I create a garment I always think about comfort in wearing it, because the woman must feel comfortable, and elegance, which must characterize both a young woman and more adult ladies. In addition, I am always careful in the choice of fabrics, which must be fine, comfortable and easily washable, and in the search for details, because a classy woman looks for particularity in every form.
Do you have a highly qualified staff for very fine clothes?
The workmanship of the various products in the collections is done by a team of seamstresses strictly by hand, respecting the Neapolitan tradition, from fabric cutting to stitching. The first stage is the selection of fabrics and product designs for the different categories; we then proceed by making paper patterns and thus produce the garments, which I personally supervise by making changes and corrections to achieve an article without imperfections.
Edited by Michele Romano
Source: donnafashionnews.co.uk
Source: caprieventi.it
Source: reportcampania.it
