The decline and fall of the kimono – in pictures

Finished kimonos: to get from the original silk cocoon to the final product involves more than 1,000 steps Photograph: Pam Skinner

Each individual kimono and its accompanying obi (sash) are a work of art in their own right Photograph: Pam Skinner

80-year old Setsco Arakawa prepares the threads for weaving Photograph: Roland Buerk

Kimono silks on looms Photograph: Pam Skinner

A maiko, or apprentice geisha, performing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony Photograph: Ruth Evans

Echigo jofu, the fibre used for kimonos, is made from very thin thread taken from the stalks of ramie plants Photograph: Roland Buerk

A handwoven obi can take more than three months to make; each one is signed by the maker Photograph: Pam Skinner

A nishijin weaver in Kyoto. Nishin is a region near Kyoto, where the fabric is traditionally produced Photograph: Pam Skinner

Apprentice geishas (maiko), dressed in their kimonos Photograph: Ruth Evans

Detail from a hand-painted kimono Photograph: Pam Skinner

Hand-painted kimono fabrics by artist Kihachi Tabata are some of the sought-after in Kyoto Photograph: Pam Skinner

A maiko dance class Photograph: Ruth Evans

The japanese department store Mitsukoshi has a department for children's kimonos Photograph: Ruth Evans

In the Harajuku area of Tokyo, young people prefer wearing more modern clothes; kimonos are out of fashion Photograph: Pam Skinner