1. Tools and ingredients
Back in my martial arts days, I read somewhere that the best way to wash hakama trousers was in a bathtub - so you could lay it flat and not disturb all the pleats, filled with cold water and lots of salt.

I don't have a bathtub, which doesn't make a difference in this case, and I still need to check the science behind adding salt to prevent colour fading. But I guess it doesn't damage the fabric.
In theory, the best cleaning agent for clothes is water, lots of it. Soap helps with greasy stains, in this case old makeup. Or is it? I haven't worn foundation in years, so could be just my own skin oils...
I use the gentlest soap bar available: in Brazil, it'd be coconut soap. In Europe, it's usually Marseille soap but any other soap bar made of saponified pure olive oil will do (like Aleppo soap).
I avoid most things scented, and I got used to the smell of Marseille soap. If it's your first time using it... spoiler alert: it's stinky!If you absolutely hate the smell, Aleppo soap ain't that bad. Smells kinda like a river rock.
Important: I absolutely do NOT rub & scrub this ancient fabric dyed with one of the trickiest natural dyes there is!
I gently rub the slippery wet soap bar in the problem areas, think there's nothing smoother than that.

2. Rinsing and drying
I came this far, not gonna shove it into the washing machine for a rinse and spin cycle.
No pictures of me rinsing the kimono because I needed both my hands, and c'mon... you can do that.
Now hanging to dry: do NOT hang delicate fabrics!
That goes for anything in danger of ripping or stretching from its own hanging weight. So when in doubt, always lay it flat.
I placed it over a clean white towel to absorb excess water first.

3. Mending
The collar has many layers in the original fabric, so I followed the original technique and just tucked in the frayed edges:





Read this far? I guess you like my writing :)
Subscribe to my newsletter to get my stories every other week.
Besides not being very secretive about my creative process and new launches, I also give special discounts for subscribers.
See you there!