Indigo

Kasezome

Natural indigo dye, featured many times in our previous collections, possesses an uneven, textured appearance.  This is brought about by many difficult-to-control elements, like variations in temperature, chemical properties of the dye itself, and irregularities rooted in the idiosyncrasies of human touch. Through use of a technique called kasezome (skein-dyeing), artisans are using synthetically produced indigo dye and attempting to replicate, or perhaps even improve upon, the unique unevenness found in natural indigo dye.

Kasezome is a technique that has been used for many years in Japan.  Yarns are wrapped into a loose coil called a kase, or skein, and dipped into a container full of dye.  This method preserves the original texture of the yarn while still deeply coloring each yarn to its core. These days, kasezome has gained popularity as a dyeing method, but the majority of kasezome is performed by machines that churn out flat, evenly colored yarns.

We are employing a kasezome hand-dyeing technique, which is extremely time and effort intensive, in order to create richly colored fabrics that can proudly stand side-by-side with fabrics dyed in natural indigo. Of course, simply hand-dyeing something does not automatically make it good.  It  is crucial to have a deep knowledge of indigo, and years of accumulated experience.  Synthetic indigo was originally meant to be quick-dyeing and even - typically considered to be desirable traits - but we thought it'd be interesting to use the dye to an opposite effect.  If the end goal is not clear, it is impossible to think creatively in this manner.  This is an idea that didn't exist before in the world of indigo dyeing.

We have a passion for taking old methods and reinterpreting them in new and innovative ways, and are looking forward to making products together in the future.