MO 5

You could make the argument that Nintendo is the most “Japanese” of the major video game companies. Obviously that’s a label you can’t apply to Microsoft, but even compared to internationally focused Sony, with design studios and production teams all over the world, more of Nintendo’s products are developed domestically, and many in Kyoto, the quintessential Japanese city.

So it’s kind of ironic that the company’s best-known character, Mario, is Italian. Still, the video game hero is one of the best choices for a symbol of Japanese pop culture, and now he’s been combined with Japanese traditional culture in an awesome Mario kimono.

The eye-catching outfit is the work of obviously talented seamstress, and ostensible Nintendo fan, Tamala, who showed off her handiwork earlier this year at Fami Mode, an all-night music and gaming event put on by the Star Pine’s Café in Tokyo.

Wearing a kimono isn’t as simple as just slipping on the robe, as there’re a number of accouterments in a complete ensemble. An obi, or sash, is an absolute necessity, and Tamala created hers by repurposing the cloth from a store-bought Mario towel.

▼ How awesome is it that she made sure to put the Boo ghost, which can’t move when someone is facing it, on her back?

MO 2

Tamala also added an obi-jime cord. Not only do obi-jime keep everything nice and straight after the wearer wraps the sash around herself multiple times, they also provide a spot to hang a fashionable accent near the waist. Thorough-minded stylist that she is, Tamala chose to keep the theme going by attaching a miniature Famicom controller that used to be a key chain.

▼ We’re giving her an extra point (life?) for the 1-up mushroom she stitched onto the kimono’s left breast, and another for the Blooper squid on the scarf.

MO 4

Women generally do up their hair with a kanzashi hairpin when wearing a kimono. Many of them have floral motifs, but for Tamala, Starman was the more appropriate choice.

▼ We kind of would have liked to see a Fire Flower kanzashi, though.

MO 1

Finally, you can’t talk do a tribute to Nintendo’s most famous franchise and not include the key players, Mario, Peach, and Bowser.

MO 3

They’re a little hard to make out in the photo, but if you look closely you’ll notice that even the sandals are in the iconic red and gold of the 8-bit Famicom console. Coupled with the Starman kanzashi, this means that Tamala’s outfit is Nintendo-themed from head to toe, not to mention 100-percent awesome.

Sources: Japaan, Hiyoko Hitsuji
Images: Hiyoko Hitsuji