About Us
We specialize in beautiful and desirable items from Japan and also offer a full range of services. We do our best to ensure a permanent variety of fantastic items along with unique limited edition and seasonal items to fit any budget. We’re proud to have produced years of happy customers and look forward to continuing our work for many more to come! We believe that all of our customers deserve the highest level of service, and we are committed to providing just that. We never stop improving and will continue to expand our offerings based on how we can best serve our customers. Explore the rest of our site to learn more about what we have to offer, and get in touch with us today to learn how Rinne-True Japan can help you.
The Designer
My name is Dawn Renee, I’ve been creating timeless pieces for myself and for friends for as long as I can remember, what started out as a hobby, has become my passion and I’m now delighted to share it with you. My diverse line reflects the styles and vibes of Japan and my goal is to create designs that each wearer can adapt to freely while expressing their own unique and wonderful style.If you are looking for something a little different for yourself, let’s create something beautiful together; get in touch with me today or take a look at my finished designs.
Our Vision
The Japanese kimono and obi are so incredibly beautiful but the use of them has greatly diminished. Their existence is disappearing due to the changes in our modern lifestyle and fashion. These traditional vintage items have sadly become a past time, the younger generation’s fashion has changed and so the kimono no longer has a place in the ever-growing fashion industry.
Our vision is to bring back some of the history, colors, ideas, and amazing craftsmanship from the past by creating something avant-garde, universal, and wearable for the modern-day woman and man. Our bags are stylish, colorful, exciting and each with its own extraordinary story. We hope that you too will enjoy seeing the newly renewed beauty in all of our recreations.
Our Bags
All our bags are crafted from specially chosen vintage Kimono and Obi material.We design them to keep the same characteristics as the original garment which it once was a part of. The fabric of the garment is carefully taken apart and then meticulously handcrafted to create our beautiful Rinne bags.
On average, each bag will take about 3 hours to complete. It is handmade from start to finish. The process starts from deciding on the fabric and pattern, cutting the fabric, followed by ironing, sewing and stitching. Each handbag,even the bags used from the same fabric, are unique and different. No two bags are the same.
Our Name
Rinne 輪廻 is a Japanese word, meaning “to go around, revolve, reincarnate, and to return to the starting point of the circle. It is also the Buddhist term for "samsara." Samsara is the theory of rebirth and “the cycle of all life, matter, and existence, and not having a beginning or end.
Since we will be up-cycling vintage goods we thought this name would perfectly represent us and our brand. We are reviving the beauty of the past and bringing it to life in the present, taking the old ways and making it new, making a complete round-from historical to modern, therefore having an endless cycle of ancient beauty.
Our Logo
Font: Our font is designed to replicate Kanteiryu (Kantei-Style). It is based on the style of letters used in the titles and billboards of Kabuki plays. The original style, as legend has it, was developed by the calligrapher Okazakiya Kanroku (also known as Kantei) in 1779 during the Edo Period. The letters were written to fill the writing area with very little spaces between the letters, as a metaphor for filling the theater. It is a dying form of writing in Japan so we wanted to incorporate it in our name and logo as an homage to the Japanese culture and history. The meaning is also very unique as it means less negative space- bringing good luck to the play or the creation.
Design: The circular shape was chosen for our logo because of the connotation it holds with reincarnation and the circle of life. The shape also resembles a traditional Japanese hanko (stamp.) In Japan, the Hanko's are as unique as a fingerprint, therefore they are used to replace the handwritten signature.