An Ancient Japanese Hand-Dyeing Technique Makes a Comeback

Perhaps in response to the ubiquity of digital prints, hand-dyeing techniques have been regaining popularity, and none more so than shibori. It’s the Japanese answer to tie-dye, but a whole lot older — it’s said to date to the eighth century. The pattern is created by folding or twisting fabric, wrapping it around a pole or stitching it. The results are patterns that are once geometric and organic.

Shibori is traditionally done in shades of indigo, but contemporary designers have been practicing the ancient technique in an array of colors, as seen everywhere from Etsy shops to major department stores. Designers from Band of Outsiders to Diane von Furstenberg have used it in their collections on shorts and dresses. On the home front, Rebecca Atwood and West Elm have used shibori prints to decorate throw pillows, duvet covers and curtains.

The Brooklyn-based designers Kalen Kaminski and Astra Chastka of the line Upstate discovered shibori while looking for the perfect fabric for a scarf. They taught themselves the technique partly by watching YouTube videos. “One of our favorite things about it is the irregularities that can happen,” Kaminski said. “We love the mix of art and science, even though for us the dye process is less about exact science and more about embracing the variety of results."

by Marisa Meltzer, NY Times |  Read more:

Image: NY Times