Hi it's Shohei.

It was just a few days ago that we welcomed the year 2022, but it is already March. I have naturally started to choose lightweight outerwear even on cold mornings.

KUON customers buy clothes for forward seasons, but I am finally starting to be attracted to light, pale spring colors.

Today, I would like to introduce SASHIKO STRIPE for Spring / Summer 2022 collection which I personally think it is one of the most modernized Sashiko fabric ever.

I learned about the inspiration for the Sashiko Stripe design when I wrote this blog, so it was fun to write about it.

Enshu Sashiko Ori

As we introduced, the Enshu region in western Shizuoka Prefecture is known as one of Japan's leading cotton textile production areas. Craftsmen have long passed on their high skills to the next generation, and the mild climate seems to be suited to textile production.

This Sashiko stripe is produced in the Enshu region, in cooperation with a long-established atelier with a 150-year history that handles the entire process from yarn dyeing to weaving.

The light blue part is of course indigo-dyed. Furthermore, dark indigo-dyed threads are used for the SASHIKO threads, which give a texture and gentle coloring to the fabric. The more you wear it, the more the texture and flavor will increase, so you can enjoy the process of growing the design.

"Technic" and "Sense"

Their craftsmanship meets KUON's aesthetic.

Agnes Martin is a Canadian-born female artist who pursued two-dimensional art with lines in a pale, vanishing grid. In her later years, she spent long periods of time in her studio filled with natural light in Mexico. She was also devoted to Eastern philosophy, and the works she created evoke a sense of subtle light and transparency from her light-colored paintings.

"What I feel when I look at nature, the sense of beauty and freedom in the midst of nature. I want people to have these feelings when they look at my work."

"When I see and feel nature, I get the feeling of being in contact with beauty. Water is beautiful, trees are beautiful, even the dust is beautiful. Beauty is what I am drawn to."
-Agnes Martin

Inspired by Agnes Martin's works, Ishibashi designed this fabric, which is produced by the craftsmen in Enshu.

If you know the background of the seasonal concept "Color of Light", you will enjoy this collection even more.

Thank you.

View products made with the SASHIKO STRIPE