2. Matthew Ames Kimono Kool Victor Dzenk
Stylesight!s futurist report ORIENTOLOGIES announced the strong culture crossover between the East and
West. The adaptation of the kimono shape and obi belt into international fashion apparel are only two cases in
point. Partially due to increasing globalization of the market place, authentic Japanese silhouettes, textiles and
design are held in extremely high regard by designers worldwide. The secret of that esteem lies in the original
ideas and shapes, refined taste and style, exceptional quality, and last, but not least unique material expertise
with textile engineering that exists only in Japan.

3. Jizome Hand Dyeing / Kikuken Senko Gold Leaf Application / Kinsai-Shi Eisui Miyagawa Drying of Kimono Fabrics / Kiikuken Senko
Nippon textile productions are both a distillation and accumulation of cultural and historical techniques.
Unfortunately, with the course of the global mass production, Japan has lost many of its valuable handcrafts.
Dynamic companies such as JFW Japan Creation and the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and
Regional Innovation try hard to keep the country!s unique textile traditions alive, such as kimono silk and cotton
productions, Tokyo-some Komon fabrics (using a stencil carved into paper), shibori dyeing and banshu fabrics.
Following us on a short journey into the inspiring world of Japanese textiles which lingers between past and
future.

4. H. Amami - Oshima Silk Pongee Silk Sayaori Sha Silk Silk Brocade
It takes approximately 3000 silkworm cocoons to make 13 meters of authentic Chirimen white kimono silk fabric.
Traditionally woven in strips of roughly 0.38 x 13m, these textiles inhabit a world of their own. Tadashi
Maruyama, a kimono designer, loves to enhance these silks with foil prints, spreading ash on top of the starch,
finishing with a roller tanning process which brings out the power of these fabrics. An example of contemporary
kimono silk is Honba Amami-Oshima pongee (woven in refined silk yarn instead of floss), characterized by
splash patterns and subdued coloring, produced by doro-zome dyeing technique.

5. Yohji Yamamoto Hayashiyo Kobe Fashion Museum Fukaki Woollen Bunka Gakuen
Bunka Gakuen Fashion Resource Center just as the Gifu Prefecture Wool Manufacturers Cooperative and
Kobe Fashion Museum Resource Center invite textile connoisseurs to dive into their large archives of wool
fabrics made in Japan. Double cloth weaves, fleeces, felts, needle punching and relief effects all make Japanese
wool fabrics stand apart. We highlight Fukaki Woollen Textile Corporation: the Osaka based weaver is
recognized to manufacturer high-end cashmere and vicuña wools with the rare technique of old style teasel
(where weft and warp are raised), giving the finished materials a special wavy sheen.

6. Betty Smith Kuroki Betty Smith Collect Co Yoshikawa Orimono
Japanese culture is famous for its attention to detail and jeans are no exception. One of the most distinctive
characteristics of labor-intensive Japanese jeans is the selvedge edge. Fabric edges have a woven finish rather
than being cut and stitched over, like modern jeans. The selvedge can be seen on the outer leg seam when cuffs
are rolled up, a detail that is admired by denim connoisseurs and is a sign of the fabric!s superior quality.
Japanese denim has a cult following in Europe and America because of its amazing look and feel from the
use of traditional production techniques that have long been abandoned elsewhere.

7. Koji Hamai / Titanium Coating Molded Polyester Tretron / M. Orimono Stainless Steel Coating Embedded Metal
In strong contrast with traditional kimono silks, designers as Reiko Sudo, Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake,
Michiko Koshino and Yoshiki Hishinuma enjoy engineering new fabrics influenced by advanced technology
and new fibers. Molded polyester, stainless steel coated non-woven polyester, glowing light-reflective plastic,
titanium-coated nylon, monofilament nylon with holographic finish and polyurethane were all exploited in Japan
more than 10 years ago. Marui Orimono Co. is listed among the producers of commercial man-made fabrics
utilizing jet looms to create ultra lightweight synthetics and Tetron textile, with high density and high stretch
capacity.

8. Tokyo Fiber / Makoto Azuma Tsuruga Seni Kurabo Industries Kobe Leather Cloth Miwa
“Aware of the ecological issues, we strive to contribute to the earth!s environment protection, launching eco trend
directions” states a spokesperson at JFW Japan Creation. An eco-labeling system for Japanese fabrics has
been set up, divided per raw material use, eco-friendly dyeing and finishing processes, production based on fair-
trade, and eco-mindful fashion. Japan is a good place to source high end green fabrics, made in polylactic fibers
or recycled fibers (Teijin), linen, bamboo and hemp, dyed with natural vegetal pigments or with minimal use of
chemical components.

9. Kosuke Tsumura Toshio Iwai Mintdesigns Yasuhiro Suzuki Hara / Omoya
Beyond synthetics, Japan champions with advanced chemical fiber R&D. Japan Creation Executive Committee,
directed by graphic designer Kenya Hara, groups fiber holdings such as Asahi Kasei, Teijin, Toray Industries,
Mitsubishi Rayon; and organizes the not-to-miss TOKYO FIBER “senseware” projects. These material
development exhibitions premiered in 2007 and remain a strong influence to textile engineers. Senseware refers
to materials (e.g. super organza in 7den filament / 11gr/m2) or mediums that arouse creative desire, where
material talent and technology congregate surmounting industrial limitations.

10. Jum Nakao Paper Fiber Malhia Kent Kyototex Polyester Paper
Washi fiber recently increased its influence into Western textile R&D. The paper fiber is made primarily of inner
barks of three Japanese plants. At S/S10 European trade shows, Italian Carlo Barbera and French Malhia Kent
weavers showed washi-based fabrics for suiting and dresses. Kyoto based Kondaya Genbei –recognized obi
wholesaler- revives the antique shifu textile, woven from twisted paper strips. Mass market oriented, Nikke
suggests paper tweed in 21% paper / 66% cotton / 13% linen; Kyototex non-formaldehyde rayon metallic yarn
blended with paper fiber, and Hsayamasenko washi paper fiber printed on delicate cotton bases.

11. Tokyo Cotton Fabric Library Chemical Lace Dissolving Fabric Iwanaka Embroidered Cotton
France and Switzerland may be top lace producers, but Japan develops interesting openworks as well. The
Tokyo headquartered Cotton Fabric Library boost a wealth of Japanese made vintage lace samples, which
cannot be replicated at present due to lost techniques and lack in craftsman. Stunning examples of embroidered
lace (imagine Broderie Anglaise with a twist) are stocked in this archive. Mass-market chemical laces show a
contemporary take on openwork textiles or are made by dissolving a fabric to draw out a stunning abstract or
floral pattern.

12. Maurizio Gallante Lasabui Kyoto Kanoko Shibori Joint Bishu Brand Shibori Dyeing
Shibori resist dyeing is a handmade Japanese textile art dating back to the 8th century, immensely varied in its
techniques, yet always based on folding, crumpling, stitching, pleating or plucking and twisting of a fabric. Often
incorrectly labeled as tie-dye, authentic Japanese shibori is a rare textile. The labor-intensive Government
Certified Traditional Craft of Japan continues to influence international designers and textile / print studios to
create these blurry-edged pattern designs. Italian Lasabui studio and Maurizio Gallante fashion designer are
just two examples.

13. Kimono Culture Matsu Juji Yabane Genjiguruma
Nippon textiles take on deeper dimensions of significance due to their rich iconography. Vintage kimono and obi
are powerful inspiration sources for pattern design. Among the abstract motifs we highlight shippo (overlapping
circle pattern), the hemp leaf pattern made of hexagrams, tatewaku (vertical curvilinear lines which bulge and
narrow), yabane (arrow feather), genjiguruma (wheel circles), matsu (pin tree), yamagata (mountain patterned
wavy horizontal lines), shima-mokko stripes and juji crosses. Bold and strong are the ryûsui (flowing water)
designs.

14. Second Lives / Madmuseum Itsukushima Sanctuary Uchikake Kimono River Sightseeing Igeta
Within Japanese ancient culture, strict regulations governed what people were permitted to wear. Not only the
type of textile and the color were concerned, the regulations covered pattern choices too, as each motif had a
symbolic meaning. The decorative scenery designs of vintage silk kimonos are produced with the hand-painted
Kyoto yuzen dyeing technique, where motifs are often first outlined in a paste resist dye technique and then
dyed with subtle tone gradations. Authentic sceneries suggested classics of Japanese literature, sanctuaries
and temples or Japanese nature landscapes including mountains and rivers.

15. Yuzen-shi Nao Honda Studio Botan Kiku Foil Print Tachibana
The traditional Japanese floral iconography features stylized to figurative tsubaki /(camellias), tachibana
(mandarin florals), ume / susino (plum blossoms), kiku (chrysanthemums), botan (peonies) and many other
bouquets. At Kyoto based Kimura Senshow studio, where precious hand-painted Kyo-yuzen kimonos are still
produced manually; patterns are made to stand out with gold to silver leaf applications (kinsai process) or
sophisticated embroideries.

16. Embroidered Obi Koi Fish Tsuru Gru Dragonfly Tsuru Gru
“The meaning of patterns has been lost in time, and their being made into symbols and designs is regrettable,”
states Genbei Yamaguchi, President of Kondaya Genbei – authentic kimono producer. The refined dragonfly
design went from being a symbol of abundant harvest to one of victory in ancient times. Currently the dragonfly
is widely employed in prints and graphics but its symbolism is lost. The gru and Koi fish (prosperity of all
kinds) is another common pattern in placement prints and embroidery. Also dragons, phoenix, mythological
creatures, crane birds and tortoise (symbols for felicity and long life) are valuable inspirations.

17. Origami Paper Folding Nuno Jessica Preston Kyoko Nagasawa Anna Sagstrom
The art of paper folding inspires to create enticing sculptural materials, print patterns and 3D textiles. A pioneer is
the origami pleats polyester designed by Reiko Sugo for Nuno in 1997. The technology relies on a heat-
setting process, fixing folded and dyed origami-like pleats. Kevin Saer Leong launched the Origami clothing
label featuring puffer vests in Tyvek, printed with origami folding instructions. UK textile designer Jessica
Preston creates intricate textiles exploring the challenges of origami inspired-techniques. Nippon designer Kyoko
Nagasawa, translated Zegna Baruffa cashwool yarn in origami-inspired 3D knits.

18. Serizawa Keisuke
Tokyo Fiber Senseware
JFW Japan Creation JETRO at PV
Explore yarn, fabric, development, kimono culture at following trade shows & organizations exhibitions worldwide:
• PARIS: PREMIERE VISION Sept 15-18 – textile show / visit JETRO booth for Japanese weaver collections
• TOKYO: TOKYO FIBER SENSEWARE - Sept 18-27 – chemical fiber R&D developments exhibition
• TOKYO: JFW JAPAN CREATION Oct 7-9 – textile tradeshow Japanese weavers
• NEW YORK: JAPAN SOCIETY : SERIZAWA – master of Japanese Textile Design exhibition Oct 9-Jan 17 2010
• OSAKA: Kimono Flea Market Ichiroya (www.ichiroya.com)
• TOKYO: Organization for small and medium enterprises and regional innovation, Japan Textile Industry division