Part 05

Making a Kimono

Chisohiso is one of the few kimono houses today that has creative control over the making of a kimono, from the design and execution, to the distribution and sale. Chiso has established relationships with trusted kimono brokers who identify and recommend top talents to Chiso. This has resulted in a critical, close-knit network of artists, designers, highly-skilled artisans, salesmen, department stores, and even consumers, with each person instrumental in the production and marketing of the kimono.

The Faces of Chiso

01
Designer
Chiso senior designer Imai Atsuhiro drawing a new design.
02
Copyist
The copyist transfers designs from other sources, such as print books, onto a fabric sketch.
03
Colorist
The colorist checks the accuracy of dye colors to be used.
04
Barrel Tie-Dyer
Matsuyama Itsuo, one of the few remaining highly-skilled specialists with knowledge of how to seal the special barrels created for barrel tie-dyeing (okedashi shibori).
05
Dyer
The dyer immerses the barrel in a vat with the fabric to be dyed on the outside of the barrel and the reserved fabric protected within the sealed barrel.
06
Shibori Tie-Dyeing Specialist
After dyeing, the shibori tie-dyeing specialist releases the threads around the tightly wrapped sections of fabric (to secure the fabric from dye penetration) that creates patterns.
07
Paste-Resist (yūzen) Specialist
The patterned areas are covered by paste to prevent the dye from penetrating these sections of the fabric.
08
Colored Flour Paste-Resist Dyeing Specialists
Kamachi Yutaka and his son, Kamachi Shota, artisan specialists of colored flour paste-resist dyeing (iro utsushi itchin yūzen) for Chiso. Kamachi Yutaka’s father invented this technique for Chiso in the 1990s.

Making a Kimono

The Faces of Chiso

About this kimono