When Anne forwarded me the link to a new online store, Kawaii For You, I fondly reminisced about my high school years sitting cross legged on cushions and learning Japanese. I knew exactly what "kawaii" meant - it's the Japanese word for "cute", so I couldn't wait to check out this site. There's not too may other Japanese phrases or words I recall from those days, although "chokoreeto o taberu no ga suki desu" is very true (I DO have a terrible weakness for chocolate). And I did once find knowing the language handy when I asked a Japanese man standing on the coral at the Great Barrier Reef to to "please get of the reef", during a family holiday. (But it seems I've gone off topic. Oops!) Knowing very basic Japanese hasn't proved to be all that useful, but I can still be heard these days to squeal "kawaii desu ne!" in delight when I spot something uber adorable. And that's just what I did when I clicked into the online home of Kawaii For You. You'll find oodles of seriously gorgeous, enchanting knicks knacks and homewares of all sorts, imported straight from Japan and hard to find anywhere else in Australia. Don't you just love how this set of Monchhichi lunch containers (below) sit snugly inside each other for easy storage? They were dreamed up by renowned Japanese designer Shinzi Katoh, who is a Zakka artist. What's Zakka? Well as I just learned, it's a Japanese word which refers to a fashion and design phenomenon that's taken the country by storm, and is the label for anything that generally improves your home, life or outlook.
Zakka has also been described as "the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane", which really appealed to me! I'm now a convert to the Zakka movement! From now on, I'll be trying to see the beauty and appeal in everyday things I tend to look at without really appreciating them or taking notice. It seems like a nice way of spicing up our everyday existence and making the boring stuff fun!
Also designed by Shinzi Katoh is this very practical Snow White insulated lunch bag to keep food beautifully warm or icy cold. What a brilliant idea! Great for the girls to take to school, or for storing bottles and juices in.
Find the Kawaii For You stall at Mathilda's Market in Brisbane on Saturday 20 February at the beautiful Brisbane Racing Club.
Peta x
Mathilda's Market blogger
4 comments:
Thank you so much for an awesome blog post!! Can't wait for the market... Christine xo
This stuff is so cute! Can you guys come to the Sydney markets too?? :)
Wouldn't that be nice? Who knows what this year will bring, we may see Kawaii for You in different cities ... fingers crossed!
well you just never know!!
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