STUDIO D´ARTISAN Studio D’Artisan “Kusaki Zome” Kakishibu Dyed Easterner Type III Jacket

We are happy to introduce the new “Kusaki zome” collection from Studio D’artisan. It consists of a capsule of limited pieces dyed with the traditional Kukaki zome method. Kusaki zome, fabric-dyeing with plant juices, has been used since olden times in Japan as a way to incorporate the beautiful colours of nature into lifestyles. Kusaki zome has been used for more than one thousand years ago. Pick flowers, leaves, stems, roots and even fruits, extract their colours through decocting, and dye cotton thread.  

This lightweight jacket is one of the main pieces of this new Kusaki zome SS22 collection. It has been garment dyed with Kakishibu, an all-natural dye from the Heian period -more than 900 years ago- fermented from the juice of unripe persimmons to create the natural khaki coloured dye.

Given the labour-intensive process of dyeing in a natural dye like Kakishibu, only a small production lot of this exclusive jacket can be made.

Kakishibu is a traditional dyeing method using the discolouration caused by oxidation of the fermented juice of unripened persimmon fruit containing strong tannin. It also reacts to sunlight, so the colour changes slowly with time and sun exposure. Historically, Japanese people enjoyed the changing colours and texture of the natural reactions after one week, one month, and one year later. However, Kakishibu traditions have disappeared because of the fast-paced consumer society. Studio D’artisan is proud to offer Kakishibu dye to revive the wisdom of our ancestors who coexisted with nature.

The most remarkable attribute of this jacket is that it will react to sunlight, so the colour changes slowly with time and sun exposure, which results in a unique patina over time.

The style of this new collection is based on the classic American Westerner series, which was the forerunner of white denim. It is now called Easterner, made of the same white cotton satin used in the vintage Westerner pieces but introducing the traditional Kakishibu Japanese dyeing. The brand has created a lightweight sanforized denim that is still durable, but also extremely comfortable to wear on a spring-summer day.

It features the vintage type III style from the 60s, with two V seams on the front, a slim fit, western-style pocket flaps and no side pockets.

Under the slogan of “Reconstruction of great old things”, Studio D’Artisan is one of the iconic brands of Japanese denim. Founded by Shigeharu Tagaki and reproducing classics of French and American workwear since 1979, Studio D’Artisan takes pride in having been one of the Osaka 5.

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