As a family-run business rooted in sustainability, craftsmanship, and timeless design, we love meeting others who share the same values as us at UASHMAMA.
This month, we chatted with Naoko Omura, who lives in London and loves hand stitching clothes – you can see her incredible hand-sewn clothing on her Instagram account @naokoomura.
Let’s find out more about Naoko and how she discovered her love for sustainability and handmade clothing.
UASHMAMA: Tell us a little about your background before you moved to London
NAOKO: Before moving to the UK, I worked in interior design in Kyoto, Japan. I mainly coordinated curtains for newly built houses, restaurants, and public facilities such as schools.
UASHMAMA: What led you to moving to London?
NAOKO: I decided to move to the UK after meeting my British husband in Japan, and eventually leaving my job in interior design.
UASHMAMA: When did you first gain an interest in hand-stitching, and what drew you to it?
NAOKO: In the summer of 2022, I went to a garden centre called Petersham Nurseries with some friends, and there I found a beautiful linen apron with UASHMAMA braces.
When I took a closer look at the apron, I noticed that it was simply a square, and I started chatting with my friends saying, "I think I could sew this myself." That was how it all began.
I looked up UASHMAMA and found out that I could purchase the Paper Apron Braces from the website. I ordered the braces right away, and headed to a fabric shop to buy linen and gather all the materials.
That's when one of my friends said, "I'II get a sewing machine ready for you!" - I replied, "I can't use a sewing machine, so I'll sew it by hand."
The reason was because my only sewing experience dated back to high school home economics class — and since I couldn't finish my assignment during class, I had to stay behind after school to complete it. That bitter memory was my last experience with sewing.
Despite that, when I hand-stitched the apron, it turned out beautifully, and I found myself really enjoying the process. After that, I ended up sewing three aprons in total.
When I finished the third one, it suddenly occurred to me: "Maybe I could make clothes by hand too." So l went out to buy more fabric, laid one of my favourite garments on top of the fabric, left some allowance for seams, cut it out with scissors, and stitched it by hand.
To my surprise, it turned out quite well. From there, I gradually became more and more captivated by hand-sewing and started making clothes.
l've come to realize that hand-sewing has an incredible therapeutic effect. In the midst of a busy daily life, spending time slowly and quietly calms the mind.
Above all, I discovered that showing the free and irregular hand-stitched seams as part of the clothing design brings a warmth that can only come from handmade work.
By making hand-sewn clothing, I feel as though a world I had never even thought about before has opened up wide in front of me.
UASHMAMA: What is your creative process?
NAOKO: I’ve been working as a therapist in London, and I just found it so fun to make clothes by hand that I put more photos of my clothes on Instagram, rather than therapy stuff.
Then in summer 2023, one of my videos in which I was wearing an apron with UASHMAMA braces hit the algorithm. My followers went up 1.7k from 800 within a month.
Since then, I’ve had many requests to buy hand-stitched items, but I don't want to sell them. I thought that instead we could make items together, so I started doing workshops – mostly when I go to Japan.
With each hand-sewn garment I make, I’ve started thinking about the waste in fashion and how things are discarded unnecessarily.
That’s why I thought that if everyone could make clothes carefully and thoughtfully, we could at least contribute a little to reducing waste on our planet.
UASHMAMA: How do your hand-stitching classes run?
NAOKO: Fundamentally, through hand-sewn clothing, I share two things: a philosophical perspective, and the practical know-how of making clothes.
First, I talk about the background of how I began hand-sewing. Then, I explain how I create garments by hand. After that, participants begin the process of making their own clothing.
Based on this structure, I have organised various types of workshops: those in which participants freely bring their own fabrics, those in which I prepare the fabric and set a theme, retreat-style workshops where participants stay overnight and make hand-sewn garments, and even online workshops.
UASHMAMA: What is one tip you'd give to someone wanting to start sewing?
NAOKO: For those who want to make hand-sewn clothing but feel it might be too difficult, or for those who have never sewn before, I recommend starting by purchasing UASHMAMA braces and hand-sewing an apron. It's a perfect first step.
The key is not to overthink it – keep it simple and easy.
UASHMAMA: What is your next hand-stitching project going to be?
NAOKO: I am thinking about various ideas for my next project.
I want to travel around the world with people who are interested — visiting places known for dyeing, weaving, spinning thread, and local fabric shops, experiencing each craft, and making hand-sewn clothing on the spot.
I also want to purchase an old traditional Japanese house and create a retreat centre. There, people could experience plant-based dyeing and indigo dyeing, grow cotton and indigo, spin thread, weave fabric, and make hand-sewn clothing.
Not only that — the retreat would also offer massage and healing services.
Thank you so much to Naoko for sharing her incredible work and her process. To see more of Naoko’s beautiful hand-stitched clothing, make sure to follow her on Instagram @naokoomura – she regularly posts about what she’s making, and her hand stitching classes.
If you’ve been inspired to buy your own UASHAMA Paper Apron Braces and make your own apron, we’d love to see! Tag us on Instagram @uashmama.
But don’t worry, we also make and sell beautiful organic cotton aprons to go with our braces if you don’t want to make your own.
For more blog posts with inspiring sustainable individuals and businesses, as well as style guides and loads more, check out the UASHMAMA blog.