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Portrait of Fumiko Saito, bridesmaid for her sister Margaret10 December 1941
Vancouver, BC
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Portrait of Kimiko Saito, bridesmaid for her oldest sister Margaret10 December 1941
Vancouver, BC
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Letter to Fumiko Ezaki19 October 1942
Vancouver, BC
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Ryokichi (left) and Mitsu Kohara in front of Sisters Cleaners and Dressmakers1935
Vancouver, BC
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Ayako Kohara (nee Yasui) in front of Sisters Cleaners and Dressmakers1935
Vancouver, BC
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Ayako Kohara, a dressmakerAyako Kohara (nee Yasui) and her sister, Shizue Ota (nee Yasui), owned and operated Sisters Cleaners and Dressmakers in Vancouver with their parents, Ryukichi and Mitsu Yasui, from 1935 to 1940. Ayako learned to sew in Japan as a young girl. She recalls that, "with a leather thimble on my finger, I had to stitch by hand very, very fast." She acquired further sewing and dressmaking skills from her sister who attended one of the larger dressmaking schools in Vancouver. She also learned by working for Mrs. Suguya, who ran a cleaners and dressmakers on Davie Street.
Over the years Ayako has made countless dresses and other garments, but she particularly remembers the many wedding dresses she and her sister made. She recalls that they charged ten dollars for the very first wedding gown they designed and sewed. Currently living in Scarborough, Ontario, Ayako is 81 years old and still keeps busy doing mending and alterations.
From a conversation with Susan Michi Sirovyak, Japanese Canadian National Museum, July, 1996.
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A cinnamon brown Harris tweed women's suit1950
West Vancouver, BC
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Masa Enjo, a dressmakerDenzo and Masa Enjo owned and operated Deluxe Cleaning and Dressmaking at 4192 Main Street, between mid-1930 and 1941. They returned to the coast in 1950 and re-established their business in West Vancouver, where they continued until 1978. The Enjos' daughter, Rits Saimoto, recalls some memories about her parents' shop:
"In the beginning, she went from door to door, inquiring if people wanted alterations or sewing done. Boy, we think that we work hard today, but it's nothing compared to how they must have worked. My mother used to bring work home all the time to finish it for the next day.
She was a good sewer. When she had a garment hanging in the shop, you could tell by the style that it was for a certain person. She made garments specifically for that person. She worked awfully hard, from morning until night. She always took her work home, before and after the war.
Even after the shop was closed, her clients came to her house - they were like friends by that time. They liked her and knew what kind of a job she did."
From a conversation with Naomi Sawada, July 26, 1996.
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A square, ruler, and French curve used by Miyoko Takeuchi for dressmaking from the 1930s on.1930
Vancouver, BC
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Wedding portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Takeuchi. Miyoko Takeuchi made her own wedding gown.1936
Vancouver, BC
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Satin wedding gown of Miyoko Takeuchi, designed and sewn by her ca. 1936.1936
Vancouver, BC
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Sayoko Hattori, a dressmakerSayo went to live with Mrs. Yayoi Negishi to learn tailoring when she was seventeen. Mrs. Negishi (who learned tailoring in Japan) had a dressmaking business called the Grandview Dressmaker situated between 9th and 10th Street (Grandview and Commercial), in Vancouver.
She then worked for Mrs. Oyama (who was also a Japanese language school teacher) for about two years. Sayo looked after her shop while Mrs. Oyama was teaching school. Oyama sensei had a cleaners and dressmaking business at 19th and Dunbar.
When Sayo was 25 years old, and had gained confidence, she bought her own dressmaking business called the Bonnie Lass at 2524 Dunbar Street from Miss Nishi and soon started making her own patterns. She later hired two young women to help her. She designed outfits for many Caucasian women in her neighbourhood. People going to the movie theatre would pass by and see her and say, "There she is!"
She purchased a Singer machine from Mr. Yanagizawa who worked for Singer. She had both an electric and a treadle machine.
In 1938 she got married to Motoharu Hattori and they expanded the dressmaking business to include a dry cleaner, which Motoharu looked after. All the pressing was done by hand, as they did not have a pressing machine. At first, the clothes were sent out to be cleaned and brought back for pressing. Since they did not have a car, everything had to be picked up and delivered on foot. However, six months after the store opened they bought a car so then the clothes could then be picked up and delivered by car.
Sayo took her sewing machine to Lillooet during WWII and did dressmaking for the Japanese community there. Mrs. Tsuyuki had her wedding dress made by Sayo Hattori.
Minnie Hattori, January 23, 2000
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Sayoko Hattori at her sewing machine at Seabreeze Cleaners, Vancouver, ca. 1953.1953
Vancouver, BC
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A page from Sayoko Hattori's pattern book, ca. 19301930
Vancouver, BC
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