The Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star Kim has taken to her Twitter and Instagram accounts to solemnly announce that she has made up her mind to rename her new underwear brand following a massive negative response to her initial announcement that it would be called a Kimono (a play upon her own first name).
“My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my Solutionwear brand under a new name. I will be in touch soon,” she said, explaining her approach before sending her love, coupled with loads of thanks to her supportive fans.
However, she chose not to disclose the name she has in store for her lingerie brand yet.
The brunette, who rose to stardom as part of the extended Kardashian family and a successful woman entrepreneur, apparently had a change of heart after the mayor of Kyoto reportedly sent her a formal letter accusing her of cultural appropriation if she chose to stick to the word for the “cherished” traditional Japanese attire as a brand name.
“Kimono is a traditional ethnic dress fostered in our rich nature and history with our predecessors’ tireless endeavours and studies, and it is a culture that has been cherished and passed down with care in our living. Also, it is a fruit of craftsmanship and truly symbolizes sense of beauty, spirits and values of Japanese,” read an excerpt of the letter shared with Fox News.
He also, as reported, detailed the national program currently in the works aimed at promoting “kimono culture” at large as a symbol of Japan’s culture and spirits, registered to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
“We think that the names for 'Kimono' are the asset shared with all humanity who love Kimono and its culture therefore they should not be monopolised,” the mayor stated resolutely, with netizens shouting out their approval of the firm stance.
She earlier refused to backtrack on the name, expressing at the same time “deep respect” for the Japanese garment and assuring her crowd of fans that she has no intention to design or release anything that would “resemble or dishonour” the authentic clothing item.
Last week, she took to social media to effectively tease her new shapewear collection: the mother-of-four struck her best “hourglass” angles in a promotional photo shoot alongside a team of other lingerie-clad models.
