A note from the designer
Hi! My name is Isabella Li Kostrzewa and I am an independent fashion designer, artist, and the founder of Isaboko. I currently live in Brooklyn, NY and run Isaboko out of my midtown studio with a team of the best friends in the whole world. I am originally from a small town in Michigan called Mt. Pleasant, where I learned to sew at a young age, from some amazing women in my community. Sewing was an amazing tool for my self expression, I used to get in trouble for doing things to my school uniform like sewing hearts over the school logo… When I was 16 I auditioned for Project Runway Jr. and eventually became a finalist. It was really awesome, also hard, but I learned so much. I'm a graduate of Parsons School of Design where I became obsessed with zero waste patterning, and sustainable design systems, and laid the groundwork for what Isaboko would be…
me on Project Runway Jr. as a 16 year old
Doing a big photoshoot in college with all my friends
Much of the inspiration for Isaboko comes from two distinct parts of my identity. Firstly, my Asian identity as a Taiwanese American, and secondly, my born and raised in Michigan, Midwestern identity. This brand was founded on three principles, never use new textiles, only use zero waste patterns, and center gender free design. Although it is still 100% rooted in those principles, it has evolved into its own aesthetic worldview, one where my values, and devotion to radical sustainability could merge with my unique Asian/midwestern identity. My goal was to combine the rich East Asian textile histories with the practical utilitarianism that surrounded me In Michigan.
in Taiwan after visiting the flower market
Setting up our first Nolita pop up
The original catchline of the brand was “Making solarpunk clothes for radically optimistic future freaks.” and although we use a different one now, we still love solarpunk, and radical optimism. Solarpunk is an art and social movement that believes that humans can and are actively working to make the world a better place, and I believe the systems Isaboko is rooted in are systems that exist in a solarpunk future.
Materials and process
Right now I am obsessed with vintage kimonos and obis, and the superior quality of the fabrics they are made from. From the second I first saw a second-hand kimono market, saw how many there were and realized how unbelievably luxurious and gorgeous these fabrics were, I knew I needed to find a way to give these materials new life. We work with resellers in Japan that source decades old garments that are no longer being worn, but whose fabrics are so beautiful and unique they need to be seen.
Folded silk kimonos hanging on a fence in Prospect Park
at the Isaboko studio
Kimonos were originally cut and sewn in a zero waste way so we try to give honor to that history by making our garments with as little waste as possible and always get under 1% waste. I make the patterns, sew the sample garments, and finish garment details in my studio. We work with a seamstress in Corona, Queens to deconstruct the kimonos, and a family run factory that is a bike ride away in Bushwick, Brooklyn to do our production. (Yes sometimes I literally bike the fabric over to the factory…) Every Isaboko piece is sewn with red thread. Red thread/ribbon/cord has a significance in nearly every culture and religion but the story that I always think of is that of the East Asian tradition, the invisible red thread of fate that ties us all together, pulling us closer to our soulmates.
There's so much more I want to tell you and show you, so I hope you will follow Isaboko on instagram or read our newsletter. Hope you like it!
Wearing the first prototype of the Haku Chore Jacket at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.
