Kana Morii

Artisan Organization: Kana Morii

Country: Silk Road

"My name is Kana Morii and my friends say I have a lot of energy and especially admire my perseverance in making my dreams come true. I enjoy my job and work hard to do it well. I live by the philosophy of 'be always honest' and believe that 'everything will come back to me'. I am married to an Uzbek man and have three daughters. Regardless of whether my children want to take over my job or pursue other dreams, I will support them. In my personal life, I support my children to live happily, and when they become adults, I plan to travel overseas with my husband and hold exhibitions of my own products.

"Since I came to Uzbekistan from Japan, I have loved Uzbek handicrafts, particularly hand-woven fabrics like Adras and embroidered fabric Suzani. I started making accessories because I wanted to create high-quality products using my favorite Uzbek fabrics and introduce people to Uzbekistan. I make things that I want in my daily life. For example, products used at work, items for going out, and things that would be useful for parents with children. I learned how to make products by reading dressmaking books and watching instructional videos from Japan. I use traditional Uzbek Adras fabric and Suzani embroidery as the main fabric for my products. Some of the Suzanis I use are newly designed, while others are vintage pieces that are several decades old.

"Staying in business in Uzbekistan has not been easy for me, particularly because the way of thinking and life in Japan and Uzbekistan are completely different. Living and working in Uzbekistan has been challenging and not easy. To understand the local people, I try to understand their living conditions. However, my husband is always ready to help and support me, and we overcome problems together.""