KYO CHIJIMI BRUSH PRINT

Expressive brush strokes.

Each KYO CHIJIMI piece has a unique look and feel when it is brush-printed by skilled craftsmen in Kyoto, using a special dyeing method.

First, the entire piece is dyed, followed by hand-overdyed printing, and then the fine details are decoupaged with a brush. Finally, the pattern is overdyed, and color is added to the missing parts of the pattern.

New shades are created in the KYO CHIJIMI series which are dyed using advanced technology and meticulous technique.

The story behind KYO CHIJIMI

Kyo Chijimi has been woven in Lake Okubiwa, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture. For over 100 years, it has supported the lives of men in Kyoto in the hot summers, in a rich environment where spring water flows into Lake Biwa from several layers of mountains. In this area where the tradition of Omi Jofu (hemp) is rooted, people use the spring water in their daily lives at the riverbed, cultivating a rich daily landscape.

Many chijimi fabric weavers still use that spring water, which prevents thread breakage and enables natural temperature and humidity control. HaaT's KYO CHIJIMI is one of the beneficiaries of this spring water. Although cotton mills usually have cotton fluff fluttering around, our location has humidity and clean air thanks to the spring water. It is rare to find a textile production area that is able to make such lavish use of nature's blessings.

In addition, chijimi fabric is woven with more twists and gaps in the weft thread to reduce the areas where the fabric makes contact with the wearer’s skin. When water is passed through the fabric, the 160-cm width shrinks by half. Through this, the clothing gains beautiful unevenness and shading. The fabric is then dyed at a factory that dyes wool and cashmere sweaters. The dyeing process is like rocking a baby in a cradle, slowly checking the colors as they develop.

The use of spring water from the abundant mountains in both the weaving and dyeing processes makes it possible to produce KYO CHIJIMI, a staple series that is unique to HaaT. It is truly luxurious.