Sunday, October 21, 2007


Hisae Shiratori and Mari Beth Sartain came up with their business idea when they both were pregnant and searching high and low for baby kimono. Baby kimono are the "onesies" of Japan favored by mothers because they wrap around the baby instead of going over the head, and because the seams and tags are on the outside so not to irritate the baby's delicate skin. Hisae, who was born and raised in Japan, and Mari Beth, who spent several years living in Japan, both recognized the functionality and the beauty of the baby kimono. With no luck trying to purchase baby kimonos, they decided to make the kimonos themselves. They named their company after the two babies who inspired the kimonos: Tomo&Edie.

Tomo&Edie organic baby kimono and their vintage Japanese silk kimono hair accessories can be found in selected boutiques around the United States. The kimonos are noted for the unusual red and black tag in Japanese and English. The logo Chikyujin Tomo&Edie -- chikyujin (pronounced chee-Q-jeen) is a Japanese word they like to translate as "world member." Literally translated, the character chikyu is "earth" and jin is the character for "man"

They say that their children, Tomo&Edie, remind them daily that they are "world members" so they must do their part to promote peace, protect the environment, educate the children, and be nice.

This concept gets translated into both their organic baby kimonos and their vintage kimono hair accessories. http://www.tomoandedie.com/

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