Nishijin textiles are produced through the collaboration among craftsmen, each of whom is an exceptionally skilled specialist in one of the 20-plus steps of the production process. Their creative process can be likened to a jam session made possible by each craftsman’s respect for him- or herself and for each other. Today, we have succeeded, and are further developing, this tradition of non-hierarchical collaboration based on casual relationships. Our kogei is driven by the collaboration between craftsmen and a wide variety of creators from around the world.
We collaborate with a diverse range of creators regardless of their nationality, cultural background, language, and sex. For our 2018 collection, we invited a Netherland designer, Ms. Mae Engelgeer, to Japan and conducted a collaboration project. During the two-year project, Ms. Engelgeer spent two months in Japan. Of the two months, she spent a month in Kyoto, where she had a close dialogue with craftsmen and created textiles on the theme of color.
At HOSOO STUDIES, we not only explore the past but work in the advanced fields. Inspired by the fact that a Jacquard loom that Nishijin textile uses was a springboard for the invention of the computer, we are taking on the challenge of discovering new weave structures.
There are over 20,000 pieces of hand-drawn obi designs HOSOO came to possess as we continue with our initiative of preserving the kimono culture. In Milestones Project, we scan these designs at high resolution, digitally archive them, and develop them into various forms based on students’ fresh perspectives. Since 2014, we have been working with Kyoto University of the Arts (formerly Kyoto University of Art and Design) as an industry-university cooperation project.
