Applying techniques used to make traditional Japanese apparel, Kyoto makers of Japanese clothing have created new "Japanese denim"--black jeans dyed with techniques used for montsuki black ceremonial kimono with family crest, as well as ladies wear with a motif of cherry blossoms dyed onto turned-up hems. Using everyday clothes as a point of entry, the aim is to get people interested in the world of kimono.
In January this year, Kyoto Montsuki Co., a firm based in the city's Nakagyo Ward and specializing in dyeing fabric for montsuki, began the black jeans brand "BL-WHY," making use of black montsuki dyeing techniques from the ancient capital. "BL" stands for "black" and "WHY" stands for "Waso" (Japanese clothing), "Hasso" (inspiration) and "Yoso" (Western apparel). Currently, the firm makes three types of thick, straight, masculine jeans for men.
President Toru Arakawa, 51, says, "Since there is no pattern in montsuki, we had no choice but to make the most of the black. We thought, why not apply a technique for intensifying black to other fields?"
Its technique of intensifying black is a method of applying resin to the dyed fabric that it has been using for about 20 years. "There is a limit to how black you can get with dye, but if a coat of resin is applied to the surface, it absorbs light, making the fabric appear jet black."
The company was founded in 1915. It dyes enough fabric to make about 35,000 montsuki a year, but according to Arakawa, "the market for Japanese clothing has shrunk to 10 to 20 percent of what it was 30 to 40 years ago. These days you can't do business on black dye alone."
The turning point came in 2003. They received orders from a Kyoto apparel maker for black dyed cotton bags and T-shirts. It was the first time they had dyed anything other than silk, but thereafter they received orders one after the other from brands including menswear and sporting goods.
with thanks : Asahi : link in headline for detailed story
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