THE STORY 23 SPRING SUMMER

Throughout Mame Kurogouchi’s creations, various tie-dyeing techniques have been used. From over 100 types of dying techniques, it has been a journey to find the ideal technique to create rich expressions for the collection, sometimes combining techniques and developing new ones.

This season, A-line silhouette shirts and dresses, reminiscent of bamboo sticks, were created in Arimatsau. As for the fabric, habutae (type of silk) was used, which uses high-quality raw silk. In one creation, 4 different dyes are incorporated to express the bamboo’s intricate texture and the depth of the never-ending bamboo forest.

The base is the uneven dyeing of bamboo blinds. As from its name, the fabric is hung on the blind, then dyed over, appears subtle faint brown stripes

The uneven grain tie-dye is done by hand-stitching in a row, and once the thread is pulled pleats are created. The extra process of adding aobana liquid, a dye that melts and disappears, marked in equal spacing creates the precise yet beautiful pleats. Furthermore, the stitch spacing is cleverly calculated to widen slightly towards the hem, creating pleats with different widths to further enhance the A-line silhouette.

On the upper part of the body and sleeves, the tornado dye is used. Thread tightly and finely wound around a cylinder around 10 centimeters in diameter, is reminiscent of bamboo nodes floating in the bamboo forest.

Last, the okochi dye, or dropping of fabric into the dye, technique was used to create the green or purple gradations on sleeves and collars. By tweaking the dye’s density and time in centimeter increments, a delicate gradation is born.

‘Technical development is an attribute of mine, so please rely on me’

Upon creation, questions were raised. For the tornado dye, whether to use a wooden stick, a plastic cylinder, or an empty bottle…How about changing the dye’s density, changing the thread to tie, or spacing.

The experience and sense cultivated by doing everything by hand, and with a modern interpretation of traditional techniques, being able to think outside the box creates techniques full of originality. Aspirations of each and every craftsman, supports the development of Arimatsu Shibori (dye), and even for Mame Kurogouchi’s creations, brings new expressions to relish.