Mikan trends

6 Jan

A year in review

⏳ 4 min read

As we bid farewell to 2023, it's not just a time for reflection but also an opportunity to dive into the exciting trends and customer favourites that shaped Mikan’s creative journey over the past year. I usually keep these analyses for myself because I didn’t imagine they’d be of any interest, but some of you said they were, so here it is!

So, join me as I analyse the designs, colours and motifs that stole customers' hearts.

Favourite motif

The motif that you most required in 2023 is… the crane! To be honest, I didn’t see it coming. I have these 3 fabrics depicting cranes in my obi collection, and I had them for a couple of years. They were maru-obi so there is a lot of fabric available on each of them (hence there are still some available now). I always had a request for a bag made in one of them here and there, but this year, for some reason, they seduce you even more. You can click on the images below to read more about each fabric and motif.

And here are a few bags made out of them (and one more obi which isn’t in the collection at the bottom right).

Favourite obi

As I said before, a single obi can be transformed into 5 to 20 bags, so it’s not rare that an obi is displayed in my collection for a few years before it is completely upcycled into new bags. And I am very happy with this slow process, I can enjoy their beauty for a little while. What is rare on the other hand, is to use up 100% of the silk from a single obi within 5 months! And this was the case for this one:

Sunset on the mountain village

I found this obi around Christmas last year when visiting Miyazaki (South of Kyushu). I went to this particular shop that I used to love when I lived in Miyazaki, and of course, I found too many beautiful obis so I left this one behind. On Christmas Eve I told my friend that I didn’t buy all the pieces I wanted because I already had so many fabrics in Kyoto and she smiled and said “As long as you won’t regret it.” She knows me too well…Next morning I was up early so I could drive across town, back to the store to purchase this obi that I would regret not bringing back with me.

I was very attracted to this fabric because I found the style so special. Something of an impressionist painting, yet it’s not painted but finely woven. It is not shiny and rich like the other fabrics that I usually collect, and I think a part of me thought it was quite different from my current collection so I might not use it as much. But I couldn’t be more wrong! Then I waited until July to upload it and haven’t stopped creating from it since.

Five bumbags, a weekender, and a backpack were requested.

Since then, I went back to my favourite kimono shop in Miyazaki and on my friend’s advice, I didn’t want to leave beautiful fabrics behind at the risk of regretting it. All I can say is, expect new obis in the collection soon!

Favorite design

As you guessed from the photos, this year again, the bumbag seems to be the bag you most want to wear. For wearing it myself daily, I can understand its popularity. It’s very versatile and goes with any outfit casual outfit I decide to put on (casual and comfy was my real go-to in 2023). But, in the meantime, the sophistication and refined details of traditional Japanese fabrics also dresses up an elegant outfit perfectly.

Your reviews often praise its craftmanship, its convenience, but there is another aspect I loved hearing from you: how you receive compliments on it from friends and strangers. Imagining this makes me smile because I love thinking that a human connection can be made through a bag.

Mikan bumbag with the *Silver paper fans* fabric (still a small amount available) paired with a silver zip.

The bumbag has been your favourite since I created it in 2020, but I have a feeling 2024 will bring more competition. Towards the end of the year, I released a new design, the deluxe phone bag, and I could only create a small number of it so I didn’t have a chance to understand its popularity. But even though, the 6 designs were adopted so rapidly that it felt like they vanished over the weekend! I haven’t been able to develop new designs for over a year so when I could finalize the very last phone bag prototype I was very excited. And to see it much appreciated already, I was over the moon! So, one thing is certain, I will create more of this design in the coming year.