BAD KITTY KIMONO REPRESENTS HEALING AND CONFIDENCE
BY: Erica Commisso
Bad Kitty Kimono was born five years ago, out of an unthinkable tragedy. Its founder, Nicole Regan, fell 20 feet from a bridge onto a rocky riverbed in Costa Rica, shattering both of her kneecaps and leaving her immobile. The retired nurse was bed-bound, and during recovery a friend gave her a sewing machine to keep her mind occupied. It awoke something in her.
“I felt inspired by the beautiful, flowing robes I had seen at a concert before my accident. After years of self-teaching and failed designs, I perfected a one-size-fits-all, unisex, silk, jungle-inspired robe,” she says. “Creating gave me a sense of purpose and an escape from the pain of multiple surgeries and a long recovery. It allowed me to express myself from the confines of my bedroom,” she says. “Seeing others feel seen and happy when they wear these pieces has been a gift in my own healing journey.”
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Regan gave her newfound brand a name that was close to her heart. She splits her time between Nosara, Costa Rica and Vancouver, Canada, and so she picked the name Bad Kitty Kimono to pay homage to her community in Nosara. When she misbehaves, she says, they call her “Bad Kitty.” The motifs and elements in each piece represent instinct and confidence, including wild nature like leopards, snakes and dense foliage; silk that moves with the body and represents freedom; animal energy that demonstrates the Bad Kitty archetype of independence and sensuality; and contrast that symbolizes tension between delicacy and fierceness.
“The brand is designed for everyone—regardless of shape, size, age, or background—to help them express their bold, playful sides,” Regan says, as every kimono is certainly a standalone statement. “Each piece features an original jungle-inspired print with animal-print lapels and cuffs, and our unisex designs transform the traditional kimono into a vehicle for freedom and boundary-less identity.”
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Through Bad Kitty Kimono, Regan has found global success in addition to her own personal healing, and the overwhelming demand for her modern, luxurious, and thoughtful pieces transcends audiences and borders. She partnered with Studio Fashion 5 in Vancouver to bring the high-quality pieces to Canada, but that presented its own set of challenges: she has worked to source high-quality silk printing materials with Canada while managing costs and meeting the demand within the country.
Photo Credit: Jim Orgill / Model: Brittany Paige-Watson
And now, the next opportunity for Regan and Bad Kitty Kimono has presented itself in the form of Startup Fashion Week, a Toronto-based event that helps elevates brands to the next level and offers them nationwide exposure. To present in the week-long event offered Regan a chance she doesn’t take for granted, and one she used to share her message of healing and inclusivity, as well as her inspiration, with a bigger audience.
“It’s an opportunity to be seen and heard,” she says of the event, which happened last week. “At Startup Fashion Week Toronto, the brand moves beyond a marketplace to a stage where we can construct a visual universe rooted in gender fluidity and self-expression.”