Creation as resonance
The designer behind Maison Audray Hodge approaches her work as an exploration of clothing as a language—where material, memory, and gesture intertwine. She draws inspiration from artisanal craftsmanship and the silent stories carried by textiles to create pieces where tradition and modernity meet.
It was in this spirit that she discovered the kimono by Keisuke Serizawa*, the renowned textile designer and artisan—a piece that profoundly touched her sensibility and went on to influence the creation of the INAGI Top.
Upon encountering this kimono, created in 1961, she was immediately struck by its visual richness and the quiet poetry of its white motif on black fabric, composed using Japanese syllabary and stencil printing. More than a garment, she saw it as a textile artwork—a poetic medium where each shape and space tells a story.
Moved by the subtle dialogue between Japanese tradition and modern visual language, she sensed in this piece a rare balance between technical mastery and expressive freedom. The kimono exudes a serene, quiet strength that resonated deeply with her. It invited her to slow down, to observe, to feel differently. She recognized in it a universal emotion, carried through material and gesture.
What inspired her most was the katazome technique—a resist dyeing process using stencils, requiring immense precision, patience, and care. This repetitive, almost meditative act reminded her of the importance of time, of honoring materials, and of the value of handmade work.
She held on to the idea of the artisan’s imprint within the object—and the singular beauty that emerges from intentional imperfection.
Carried by that emotion, she designed the INAGI Top. Without attempting to replicate Serizawa’s kimono, she translated its essence into a contemporary interpretation. She explored clean lines, a play of textures and transparencies—always in search of balance.
The INAGI Top thus becomes a space for dialogue—between gesture and form, textile heritage and contemporary design. A silent homage to a foundational work, and a way of extending the poetry of the kimono into her own language of clothing.