Xiaxia Hijab Japan: the first brand of hijabs, at the crossroads of cultures, is born in Japan

When an enchanting stay in Malaysia gives rise to an inexhaustible source of inspiration in a kimono designer, at the crossroads of tradition and modernity… Returning dazzled from her trip to Kuala Lumpur in 2017, Japanese designer Kobayashi Kaori was at this point fascinated by the marriage between tradition and innovation, and the parade in the streets of the capital of a myriad of hijabs in shimmering colors, competing in elegance, that she decided to put her stamp on it.

In Tokyo, back in her workshop, while her own perception of the modest Islamic veil, draped in very Muslim modesty, had been turned upside down by her exciting journey, Kobayashi Kaori felt, as rarely, crossed by a spark of creativity .

With heart to work and impatience in her fingers, using her grandmother’s vintage kimono fabric, she hastened to get down to making a prototype: the first hijab of what would become a large and beautiful collection.

Remaining totally captivated by her immersion in the heart of a Malaysia with many faces, it only took nine months, the time of an artistic gestation, for the Japanese designer to give birth to her idea, and above all to her brand. Xiaxia Hijab Japan. A brand to which she was able to add her personal, respectful and refined touch.

“ It was a long process of trial and error “, she humbly confides, explaining that she experimented with different materials, mixing the silk of kimonos with light fabrics like muslin, adapted to the humid climate of Japan, before designing a range of unique hijabs, harmoniously combining the traditional Japanese aesthetics and Islamic fashion.

What Kobayashi Kaori kept silent for a long time, fearing the devastating prejudices that die hard in Japan too, is that as the hijab of her dreams was born under her fingers, and out of sight, her interest for Islam was growing. For her greatest happiness, throughout her production phase, she was able to count on the warm encouragement of many Muslims (women and men) around the world, with whom she built a powerful network of support and friendships. .

Seven years after her unforgettable trip to Malaysia, which changed her vision of the Muslim world and opened up new creative horizons, Kobayashi Kaori can be proud of having dared to defy the Japanese stereotypes surrounding the wearing of the veil. Better yet, she broke them in style, as her brand has continued to gain popularity in Japan, and beyond its borders.

A guarantee of its tremendous success, its first store opened in Tokyo in 2023 is already well established, its hijabs at the crossroads of worlds, influences and cultures literally becoming all the rage.

“ True beauty knows no boundaries », Proclaims the first Japanese designer of hijabs in front of the microphones which are now reaching towards her. This builder of bridges of the soul nourishes the hope, no longer secretly but publicly, that the sails straight out of her workshop will help to build bridges of understanding between Japan and the Muslim world.