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kimono
The 38-year-old socialite married to Kanye West touted her new line of shapewear 15 years in the making on Instagram.
"Finally I can share with you guys this project that I have been developing for the last year," she enthused.
"I've been passionate about this for 15 years. Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work."
The public is not that thrilled about her interpretation of East meets West.
Along with three images of the shapewear, including one of herself posing in the not-a-kimono, Kardashian-West talked about the genesis for her sartorial faux pas.
"I would always cut up my shapewear to make my own styles, and there have also been so many times I couldn't find a shapeware color that blended with my skin tone so we needed a solution for all of this."
She added:
"I developed this style for all of those times I wanted to wear a dress or skirt with a slit and still needed the support."
"Introducing Kimono Solutionwear™ for every body. Coming Soon in sizes XXS - 4XL in 9 shades. I can't wait for you to feel this fabric!"
She later shared a "Fun Kimono Fact" that had nothing to do with the traditional garment.
The businesswoman was given a different kind of fun fact.
People were unforgiving of her co-opting the name of an ancient traditional Japanese garment for her line of underwear.
However, the biggest offense took place on June 19 when Kardashian-West's representative reportedly filed an application request for a trademark for the word, "kimono."
According to Kotaku, the trademark licensing will extend to "clothing, underwear, headwear, luggage, dog harnesses and...whips among other items, including, wait for it, kimono."
Japanese companies would have to use a different name to import the traditional Japanese garment to the US.
Despite rumors that Kardashian-West trademarked "kimono," Zack Guzman of Yahoo Finance said her request for the "Kimono Intimates" back in April 2018 was denied.
But the words "kimono" and "Kimono Body" that were reapplied in June are still pending.
Kimono is a gender-neutral verb
kiru (着る) which translates to a "thing to wear on the shoulders," and mono (物) means "thing."
The history of kimono has its origins influenced by Chinese fashion dating back to Japan's Heian period (794–1192 AD).
Families pass down kimonos, many of which are hand-painted and embroidered, from generation to generation and are traditionally worn at weddings, graduations, and funerals.
Now, the English word "kimono" has become a trending keyword on Twitter in Japan, and the Japanese are concerned that Kardashian-West's brand of underwear will create confusion and demean the integrity of kimono's cultural significance.
Twitter protested Kardashina-West's controversial line with the trending hashtag #KimOhNo.
The Japanese shared examples of kimonos and how the garment should retain its image, not as underwear.
Sadly, the possibility of the following scenario is inevitable if the trademark request is granted.
According to Yahoo! News Japan, patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara explained that it is possible to trademark common nouns, but for specific products, like how "apple" is trademarked for Mac computers and iPhones.
Similarly, "kimono" could be trademarked for electronic devices as well, but Kurihara said Kardashian-West's lawyers could argue that her "kimono" brand is a riff on her name.
If a play on her name was what she was going for, these options would've suited her better.
People are already confused over the name applied to a line of clothing that looks nothing like a kimono.
@jennyyangtv
Neither Kardashian-West nor her reps have commented on the controversy.
For insight to how the family that spawned Kim came to be so famous, the expose The Kardashians: An American Drama is available here.
"Secrets and scandals of the Kardashians, so closely held that not even hard core fans have heard about them, are finally exposed in New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer's forensic dissection of the infamous reality TV clan."
Or Killing Kardashian: A Hollywood Satire is available here.
"And even though the psychopath had planned well, he imagined that Killing the Kardashians with their complex schedules and airtight security would be an impossible feat at best. Still he had to try. Something had to be done."