The deep darkness of Kyoto. T-shirts dyed with traditional Kyoto black crest dyeing

Did you know that there are various clothing dyeing cultures across Japan, such as black crest dyeing, indigo dyeing, and persimmon tanning?

This is a technology that we at SOME-ISM would like to spread around the world.

This time, to let people know about them, we have applied Kyoto black montsuki dyeing to classic T-shirts that can be worn all year round, cotton knit caps, and baseball caps . We created an item that has a traditional and deep elegance and is a high-quality black color, but is also water resistant and has a silky feel .

*This is a characteristic of the fabric due to processing, and this product has not been tested.

In the first part of the Makuake Project, which sought blue, we succeeded in indigo dyeing, and in the second part, we wanted to try the classic black, so we went to many craftsmen and repeatedly made several prototypes. My efforts paid off, and I finally found a black color that I was satisfied with.

Kyoto black montsuki dyeing is a technique that has a history dating back to the 10th century and was established around the 17th century. It is a silk dyeing technique that dyes black tomesode worn at weddings and other celebratory events, as well as mourning clothes worn at funerals. It is a general term for techniques and family crest drawing techniques, and is mainly produced in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture.

It is characterized by its deep, elegant black color.

Kyo Kuromontsuki dyeing is one of Japan's proud traditional crafts, and has been developed to this day using Kyoto's underground water, which is suitable for dyeing, and the dyeing techniques of artisans who are relentless in their pursuit of the finest black. Kyo Kuromontsuki dyeing has been designated as a traditional craft by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since 1979.

In addition to ceremonial occasions, it is worn as the first formal attire for traditional performing arts such as Kabuki, Noh, Gion geisha, and sumo wrestling, as well as for Takarazuka graduation ceremonies.

For this project, we asked Kyoto Montsuki Co., Ltd., a pioneer in Kyoto black montsuki dyeing, to dye T-shirts, cotton knit caps, and baseball caps.

This is a special Kyoto black montsuki dye that is finished using a special technique called ``Shinkurokako'', which was developed independently during the long history of Kyoto black montsuki dyeing.

The dyed T-shirt is a 100% cotton made-in-Japan T-shirt with a round torso body with no side seams, produced at a long-established factory in Tokyo that has been in business for over 80 years. In addition, the cuffs and hem feature a ``top and bottom'' pattern that can also be seen on vintage T-shirts.

The knit cap also uses a 100% cotton body made by NEWHATTAN, and is a knit cap that can be worn all seasons.

The baseball cap is made of 100% cotton made by NEWHATTAN and has our brand SOME-ISM logo embroidered on the back of the cap.

The size of the hat is shallow, 11cm high and the longest brim 7cm.

The cap is one size fits all with an adjuster.

Once these products are dyed black, they are given a "deep black finish" and dried one by one in the sun to make the blackness even more distinct.

"Dark black processing" is a technique that makes the black color stand out by attaching a special dye to the fibers, suppressing the reflection of light and absorbing light.

In addition, ``deep black processing'' not only creates a beautiful black finish, but also makes it water resistant and silky to the touch.

*This is a characteristic of the fabric due to processing, and this product has not been tested.

In addition, Kyoto Montsuki Co., Ltd.'s dyeing is also focused on safety.

In fact, the dye called azo dye, which is often used in montsuki dyeing, is prohibited from being used on clothing other than Japanese clothing under the Household Goods Regulation Act.

Twenty years ago, Kyoto Montsuki Co., Ltd. created a unique black color by switching to reactive dyeing, which does not use azo dyes, in pursuit of safety.

Since reactive dyes are used instead of azo dyes, the color is resistant to fading and the black color does not easily fade.

Kyo Kuromontsuki dyeing is one of Japan's proud dyeing techniques that has been developed to date using Kyoto's groundwater, which is suitable for dyeing, and the dyeing techniques of craftsmen who are relentless in their pursuit of the finest black. It has been designated as a traditional craft by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The history of black dyeing dates back to the 10th century, and it is said that it was established as black crest dyeing in the Edo period around the 17th century. At that time, it was used as the robes of monks and the coat of arms of samurai families.

Since the beginning of the Meiji era, demand has increased for haori and hakama with black crests, which are formal wear worn during ceremonial occasions.

Even today, it is worn as the primary formal attire in black tomesode worn for celebratory events such as weddings, mourning clothes worn at funerals, and costumes for traditional performing arts such as Kabuki, Noh, Gion Geisha, and Sumo wrestling. I am.

The overall Japanese kimono market was about 2 trillion yen in 1975, but it has now fallen to about 200 billion yen. The market for Kyoto black montsuki is no exception, and has fallen from 3 million pieces per year to less than 5,000 pieces per year.

At its peak, there were more than 100 Kuromontsuki cooperative members, but currently there are only three, and the association will be disbanded in March 2022.

The traditional black dyeing industry is on the verge of collapse.

In order to popularize Kyo Kuro Montsuki dyeing, in addition to existing kimono fans, I would like to encourage consumers who are unfamiliar with Kyo Kuro Montsuki dyeing to pick up our products and learn about the benefits of Kyo Kuro Montsuki dyeing. we think it is necessary.

I sympathized with Kyoto Montsuki's vision: ``Traditional industries cannot be inherited unless traditional industry techniques evolve to fit modern lifestyles.''

We would like to change this current situation by leveraging the knowledge and experience we have cultivated in the fashion industry both in Japan and around the world to create products that make a variety of customers think, ``It's cool!'' and ``I want to wear it!'' I am.

For this project, we asked Mr. Arakawa, the president of Kyoto Montsuki Co., Ltd., a long-established company in Kyoto, to dye it for us.

Since its founding in 1915, Kyoto Montsuki has pursued ``blacker, more beautiful, and color-fast black'' as a dyer specializing in black.

The company utilizes the technology that it has cultivated over many years to dye silk crests, which are extremely difficult to dye, and uses a unique technique of deep black processing on natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and wool, creating products that have not been found in Western clothing up until now. Achieved deep black dyeing.

As a result, "Kyoto Montsuki" succeeded in developing a unique technique called "deep black processing."

Kyoto Montsuki craftsmen, including Mr. Arakawa, are not satisfied with the current quality, and are updating their dyeing techniques to continue the tradition and meet modern needs.

This project was started by asking Mr. Arakawa, who has the same aspirations as us.

1 . We create a dyeing solution by mixing our uniquely developed dye and water.

2 . Auxiliary agents are added to the dyeing machine and mixed to make dyeing easier.

We use non-toxic auxiliaries.

3 . Put the clothes to be dyed and the dye into the dyeing machine and mix them together.

The auxiliary agent and the dye cause a chemical reaction that makes it easier for the color to stain your clothes. In addition, the secondary effect of the "deep black processing" performed after dyeing makes the clothes soft and gentle to the touch, like silk.

4 . After dyeing, wash with water and soap repeatedly.

5 . After dehydrating, dry in the sun.

6 . Next, in order to make the blackness stand out, we apply ``Dark Black Processing'', a technique unique to ``Kyoto Montsuki''. "Dark black processing" reduces the reflection of light (by absorbing light) and makes the black color stand out by attaching a special dye to the fibers. By suppressing reflection and absorbing light, we are able to achieve Kyoto Montsukisha's unique ``deep black'' that is second to none.

7 . After "deep black processing", it is dried again in the sun. Depending on the drying period, the entire dyeing process takes approximately two weeks by the craftsman.

This time we introduced products made with Kyoto montsuki dyeing, but there are many other clothing dyeing cultures all over Japan, such as persimmon tannin dyeing in Kyoto and mud dyeing in Amami Oshima.

Many of these dyeing techniques have a long history and have been loved by Japanese people for many years.

By meeting artisans from various dyeing industries, we witnessed firsthand the beauty of the delicate colors expressed by the skilled hands of the artisans, the efficacy of the products obtained through dyeing, and the passion of the artisans for their techniques. did.

At the same time, I learned about the difficult situation that culture and business were in.

After thinking about how we could help preserve this wonderful culture and technology for future generations, we thought that we could help with online marketing and e-commerce, which are areas that artisans are weak at, so we created a ``dyeing platform'' that connects artisans and customers. I started. Through this platform, we would like people not only in Japan but all over the world to know about Japanese dyeing culture, and we have named this project in English as "SOME-ISM", SOME=Some=dye, ISM=ism= I named it ism.

Our members have a variety of knowledge and experience in the Japanese apparel industry, overseas apparel industry, and IT industry, and we would like to utilize this knowledge and experience to spread Japan's traditional dyeing culture to the world. am thinking.

We would appreciate it if you could support our activities.

Q. Is it better to wash separately from other clothes?

A.Please wash separately from other clothes for the first time only.