Traceability
Good materials grow harder to find with each passing year, and I often feel a quiet sense of well-being when working with older ones. It is precisely because they have become so rare that I decided to record each piece — from the origin of the raw materials through to the finished work.
These records serve both as evidence of the dyeing and material-making, and as a way for you to use each piece with peace of mind after it reaches you. My hope is that you will receive a piece born from rare materials as something all the more special.
Traceability
Authentic Indigo-Dyed Silk Yarn (Homemade Gara Yarn)
Traceability
Gara Spinning (Homemade Gara Spinning)
Test specimen No. 01 is a test yarn spun using a traditional Japanese spinning machine known as a “Gara spinning machine.” This yarn was spun using a restored Gara spinning machine with the aim of recreating spinning techniques from approximately 100 years ago for the present day. The Gara spinning machine is a uniquely Japanese spinning machine invented in the early Meiji period; its design allows the cotton fibers to be twisted together naturally, rather than by forcibly stretching the yarn. As a result, this yarn is completely different from modern spun yarn; it has variations in thickness, a loose twist, and a soft, airy texture. Test Sample No. 01 is from the very first batch spun to verify the machine’s calibration, rotational speed, and the condition of the cotton; it has not been intentionally homogenized. Slight neps and variations in thickness remain in the yarn; these are inherent characteristics of the Gara spinning process and are not defects. Test Sample No. 01 is not a finished yarn intended for commercial products; rather, it is a yarn created for documentation and research purposes to recreate for the present day the “landscape of yarn” characteristic of Japanese spinning techniques from 100 years ago. Experience the “fluctuations” and “individuality” inherent in the yarn. In open-end spinning and hand spinning, each strand of yarn varies subtly depending on the length of the cotton fibers, the degree of twist, and the artisan’s unique technique. Thicker sections, thinner sections, places where the twist suddenly loosens—these are not flaws, but rather characteristics that emerge as unique textures when woven into fabric. Precisely because uniform yarns dominate the global market today, this “irregularity” itself feels all the more appealing.
Apparel & Textiles
Hand-Spun Cotton Stole Dyed with Natural Indigo
I made a point of applying multiple layers of dye.
Traceability
Hand-woven Silk Flock Cloth (Mokujin Pattern)
Traceability
Gara Spinning (Homemade Gara Spinning)
Test specimen No. 04 is a test yarn produced by applying an additional twist to a single-end “Gara” yarn spun on a traditional Japanese spinning machine known as a “Gara spinning machine.” This test yarn was developed to determine whether it would be possible to produce a fine-count, tightly twisted single yarn by applying additional twist while maintaining the texture of the Gara-spun yarn.