Sowing Seeds and Cultivation
In spring, we sow indigo plant seeds named “Tadeai” in the field and cultivate them. We pick weeds and apply plant food at the local agricultural high school with the students.
Harvest and Fermentation
We harvest the leaves twice during the summer and let them dry. We
ferment the leaves for a month by submerging them in water, warming them with a blanket and shuffling them every day. This is how we produce the indigo dye called “sukumo”.
Design and Shibori
Our staffs brings their unique personalities into play when designing clothes, using techniques like shibori and itajime to create patterns. For Noren,we spend a week on shibori.
Dyeing
We dye by rubbing every detail of clothing, layering dye over and over again until it becomes the desired color. The moment we put the dyed clothes in groundwater, they change color from yellow-green to indigo blue. This change deeply touches our heart every time.
Fixing the Dye and Finishing Touches
We store the clothes in a dark place for two weeks to set the dye.
After that, as the finishing touch, we wash the clothes, sew buttons and tags, and press them. It takes a year from sowing seeds to complete products.
