Shokuraku Obi

video

what we did

Nishijin, Kyoto is one of the most famous kimono production centers in Japan. Shokuraku Asano expresses the traditional Nishijin textile craft: obi, with an urban design. Overwhelmed by their approach to craftsmanship, the creative agency: We, visited their workshops and factories alongside the creators in order to capture their craft and appeal to the world.

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PROCESS

Nishijin is said to have about 300 weavers – the numerous preparatory processes required to reach the weaving stage are all done by separate laboratories of craftsmen. We followed this lengthy process, capturing its various sounds along the way.

DESIGN

The first step is the design of the yarn-dyed patterned fabrics – the most important process for Nishijin textiles. The traditional designs are drawn with a unique new sense added to each garment. Shokuraku uses “subtractive aesthetics” as a nod to modern trends, omitting the traditional gold and silver threadwork.

DYEING

Dyeing the threads to the color specified by the weaver is a particularly important process for Nishijin textiles. Yarn dyeing is an important preparation process. Dyed yarns are cased and then wound onto yarn frames for easy handling in the processes of warping and weft winding.

SPINNER

Yarn reeling is an equally important process, winding the dyed yarn onto frames for easy handling in preparation for the subsequent processes of warping and weft winding. Nishijin textiles use between three and eight thousand warp threads.

JACARARD WEAVE

Information about a textile (like its design), is stored on pattern paper or floppy disks. This information is extracted by Jacquard and transmitted to the weaving machine through the heddles. The Jacquard is the heart of the weaving process.