About us
About Me
Hi, I'm Shiomi! Pleased to meet you!
Having always been passionate about art, fashion, and crafting, these past few years I decided to truly dedicate myself to being a self-taught artist. For as long as I can remember, I spent most of my days back home in Japan making—whether it be by sewing, drawing, doodling—new things with my hands.
Later on, I left my hometown of Shizuoka for Tokyo to study hairdressing, where I then worked as a hairstylist for many years. Despite enjoying the creativity and the experience earned, that job's rigidity also brought me a lot of stress, occupying so much time and energy that I had to sacrifice my own creative drive and out-of-the-box spirit.
Eventually, a need to explore the world bubbled up, and to get a taste of what lay beyond my own Japanese context, I sought to travel far and wide. I hoped to find something I couldn't quite yet describe through direct contact with other environments' cultures and perspectives. After some determined planning between shifts, I decided to take a leap of faith and went backpacking on my own across Eurasia, my only constraint being what funds I had saved until that point.
Throughout this life-changing journey of mine, I encountered many people, from deeply rural tribes and communities in Southeast Asia who still proudly practiced traditional crafts and made clothing according to ancestral knowledge—to the bold charm and hospitality of Eastern European folks, spontaneously trying their best to welcome me despite the language barrier between us.
Something about the openmindedness, vibrance and genuine warmth of these people I had the luck to meet resonated with me, as did their communities' skill and dedication to their particular heritage and folk artisanry. I believe I may have found what I was looking for in the universal cordiality I was given: a kind of sweet acceptance, which reminded me of my upbringing and allowed me to in-turn accept, trust and encourage my own creative passions again.
After being on the road a long time, I returned to Japan and briefly resumed my work as a hairstylist. Unexpectedly, I kept feeling a call to travel and explore: I would again leave everything behind and travel some more, resuming what habitual lifestyle I had in Tokyo until the next impulse to drop it all again re-surfaced. I did this little dance between stability and adventure a few times, until I finally found myself drawn to Montreal.
At the time I arrived, the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun. Without much in the way of a fixed plan, I bought a sewing machine and tools for leather crafting. I prompted myself to expand into yet another sphere of interest, spending countless hours every single day sewing and designing. Eventually, I rediscovered my joy for making and sought to sustain my reignited creativity: and so Boutique Kodama was born.
About Boutique Kodama
At Boutique Kodama, each and every product is crafted with love and dedication. My mission is to create unique, handmade items that bring joy and fulfillment to both maker and wearer. Each piece is inspired by my travels and the universal human principles I came to discover and love, thanks to the countless bits of art and traditional crafts shown to me by the diverse body of peoples I've encountered. Using my own personal creative capacity and sense of intercultural rapport, I want to make and provide you with beautiful daily items imbued with both story and timelessly simple elegance.
Thank you for your time, and I hope my work brings you as much joy as it brings me to make.
