BLUE BLUE BLUE At JAPAN, we have been manufacturing products with a focus on sashiko materials since the brand's founding in 1996. Sashiko and indigo dyeing are our identity and the parts we value most. We have been working with this fabric for many years and have developed various products through trial and error. We are particular about the thickness of the thread, weaving method, and dyeing, and use different types of sashiko depending on the season and product. Here we will introduce three typical original sashiko fabrics.
- Kasezome sashiko The thinnest sashiko we offer. This fabric was created with the aim of being thin and soft enough to make shirts. In a process called shackle dyeing, threads are made into ring-shaped bundles (shackles), manually dipped in a dye jar, and squeezed. The yarn is dyed using a traditional dyeing method that involves exposing it to air and oxidizing it over and over again, and is woven using an old-fashioned power loom called a shuttle machine. It is characterized by a deep color that is dyed to the core of the thread, and because it is woven slowly while incorporating air, it is a high-quality fabric with a unique fluffy texture and excellent durability.
Kasezo Mesashiko series - Woven Pure Indigo Sashiko This sashiko fabric is thick, yet soft, and was developed with the aim of being comfortable to wear. It is mainly used for items for the fall and winter seasons, and the two warp threads are lined up to create a moderate thickness and rich expression unique to sashiko. The yarn is dyed with genuine indigo and is woven using a dobby loom, which is equipped with a ``dobby device'' that moves the yarn (warp) up and down. It is characterized by its unique color and luxurious, puffy fabric.
Woven Pure Indigo Sashiko series - Woven Pure Indigo light sashiko Developed with the aim of creating a thin genuine indigo sashiko fabric with a soft texture. The basic structure of genuine indigo sashiko, such as the warp, remains the same, but the weight has been reduced by reducing the amount of weft by approximately 20%. It is a highly versatile fabric that can be used in a wide range of situations, with a thickness that is between Kasezo Mesashiko and Honai Sashiko. It is mainly used for items for the spring and summer seasons.
Woven Pure Indigo Light Sashiko series
As written in the center of the brand name tag, for us, ``Ai'' is the origin of manufacturing, along with sashiko. The color blue is always at the center of our manufacturing process. In English, “Indigo” It is expressed collectively as "Dye",Woven Pure Indigo and indigo dyeing are different dyeing techniques. We take advantage of the characteristics of each and use them differently depending on the product and season.
- Woven Pure Indigo Hon-indigo dyeing, which has been traditionally practiced in Japan since ancient times, is a dyeing technique that uses a plant called "indigo". Typical varieties use plants from the Polygonaceae family called Tadeai and Aitade. Since indigo dyeing is made from natural plants, the process from cultivation to processing takes time, and it is a very difficult dyeing technique to stabilize and maintain the color, as well as how to dye it. The craftsmen take the time and effort to dye the fabric, which allows the color to stick and deepen, creating a texture unique to natural dyes.
- indigo dyeing Indigo dyeing uses artificially created synthetic dyes.Woven Pure Indigo It is easier to control the color than , and it is characterized by uniform dyeing with less unevenness. BLUE BLUE At JAPAN, all indigo dyeing is carefully done one by one by the hands of craftsmen. The rich expressions and delicate color shading created by handcrafting create a unique texture that cannot be expressed by machines.
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