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KAJ.020

This extraordinary piece is a part of KARATOYAA indigo range. IT is truly unique ensemble of vintage Japanese handwoven indigo dyed cotton, Sumbanese hinggi kaworu and double sided indigo batik from Solo, Java. 

Indigo was probably introduced to Japan from southern China sometime soon after the fifth century.The oldest evidence of indigo dyeing in Japan dates back to the 10th century. In Japanese, indigo dyeing is known as AI-ZOME. The plants can grow about two and a half feet high. Their stems are green or almost red, and their large leaves are green, but turn dark blue when dried.

In Japan polygonum or tade, is used in the natural indigo dye process. The oldest evidence of indigo dyeing in Japan dates back to the 10th century. 

There are five basic materials used in Japanese indigo dyeing: sukumo (the tade leaves of the Japanese indigo plant), fusuma (wheat bran), sake, hardwood ash, and lime.

Ai-zome dyeing is a very complicated and long process. The chemical compound indican contained in the raw leaves is converted into indigo by fermenting the leaves. The traditional process uses only natural materials and no chemicals of any kind. When the fermented indigo solution is ready the cloth is repeatedly soaked in the vat. After squeezing the excess liquid from the textile it is spread wide and hung on a rope. This allows the textile to oxidize and thus fix the colour. Just after the textile is removed from the vat it looks dark green. As it oxidizes it turns blue. The soaking and oxidizing steps are repeated over and over until the final desired colour has been produced. For the darkest blues soaking lasts 30 minutes and is repeated 30 to 40 times.

Sumba is an island that is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, where textile traditions are very important, and imbue life from birth to death. Textiles are used for all kinds of ceremonial purposes, or to symbolize the wearer’s wealth and power. Sumbanese textile imagery combines influences from India, mainland Southeast Asia, and the Islamic world, as well as purely indigenous aesthetics, which refers to Sumba’s position along important trade and seafaring routes. Dutch colonial tastes also influenced textile imagery, and Dutch missionaries and colonists began collecting east Sumbanese textiles at the beginning of the 20th century. The commercialization and export trading of Sumbanese textiles began in the 1920s, which also coincided with the erosion of the aristocracy’s power, resulting in the relaxation of sumptuary laws. Until then, only the aristocracy, or maramba, could wear ikat woven in three colours (hinggi kombu), while commoners, or kabihu, could only wear ikat woven in two colours (hinggi kaworu).

Warp ikat is an intricate and labor-intensive weaving technique. The warp threads are dressed on the loom and then wrapped and tied (often with dried palm leaves) to form patterns. When the partially-bound threads are removed from the loom and placed in the dye bath, the bound sections resist the dye. The newly patterned warps then go back on the loom and are woven into cloth. The ikat technique produces individualized designs with slightly blurred edges; these variations provide dynamism within the repeated patterns. Like batik, the precise origins of the ikat technique remain uncertain, however, the variations in resist-dye processes throughout Indonesia, and the Indian Ocean world, strongly suggest an evolution through trade and migration.

The textile designs contemporary weavers choose to create reflect Sumba’s culture and highlight colonial legacies as well as ongoing transnational exchange. As anthropologist and textile scholar Jill Forshee has argued “Through time, the region’s textiles have been transformed consistently in their designs and uses, in response to influences within, between, and beyond village realms”.

Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth, that originated in Java, Indonesia. This method of dyeing in which patterned areas are covered with wax so they will not receive the colour. The method is used mainly on cottons and in the traditional colours of blue, brown, and red. Multicoloured and blended effects are obtained by repeating the dyeing process several times, with the initial pattern of wax boiled off and another design applied before redyeing.  In Java, by the mid-18th century, a small copper crucible with a handle and narrow applicator spout for applying the wax came into use, producing a much more elaborately patterned cloth; a further Javanese innovation was the wood-block wax applicator introduced in the 19th century.


Keynote from Kārātoyaa:

• Please note, that due to antique nature of the fabrics there may be signs of past experiences - we believe it adds value and a meaning to the garments.

• Some naturally dyed fabrics even after lasting generations may leave color

• Please keep in mind that all Karatoyaa pieces are Dry Clean only with the Professional service provider.

 

178.538,00 Kč
178.538,00 Kč
Sale Sold out

DETAILS

This one of a kind garment is reversible and unique from each side.

This extraordinary piece is a part of KARATOYAA indigo range. IT is truly unique ensemble of vintage Japanese handwoven indigo dyed cotton, Sumbanese hinggi kaworu and double sided indigo batik from Solo, Java.

Indigo was probably introduced to Japan from southern China sometime soon after the fifth century.The oldest evidence of indigo dyeing in Japan dates back to the 10th century. In Japanese, indigo dyeing is known as AI-ZOME. The plants can grow about two and a half feet high. Their stems are green or almost red, and their large leaves are green, but turn dark blue when dried.

In Japan polygonum or tade, is used in the natural indigo dye process. The oldest evidence of indigo dyeing in Japan dates back to the 10th century.

There are five basic materials used in Japanese indigo dyeing: sukumo (the tade leaves of the Japanese indigo plant), fusuma (wheat bran), sake, hardwood ash, and lime.

Ai-zome dyeing is a very complicated and long process. The chemical compound indican contained in the raw leaves is converted into indigo by fermenting the leaves. The traditional process uses only natural materials and no chemicals of any kind. When the fermented indigo solution is ready the cloth is repeatedly soaked in the vat. After squeezing the excess liquid from the textile it is spread wide and hung on a rope. This allows the textile to oxidize and thus fix the colour. Just after the textile is removed from the vat it looks dark green. As it oxidizes it turns blue. The soaking and oxidizing steps are repeated over and over until the final desired colour has been produced. For the darkest blues soaking lasts 30 minutes and is repeated 30 to 40 times.

Sumba is an island that is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, where textile traditions are very important, and imbue life from birth to death. Textiles are used for all kinds of ceremonial purposes, or to symbolize the wearer’s wealth and power. Sumbanese textile imagery combines influences from India, mainland Southeast Asia, and the Islamic world, as well as purely indigenous aesthetics, which refers to Sumba’s position along important trade and seafaring routes. Dutch colonial tastes also influenced textile imagery, and Dutch missionaries and colonists began collecting east Sumbanese textiles at the beginning of the 20th century. The commercialization and export trading of Sumbanese textiles began in the 1920s, which also coincided with the erosion of the aristocracy’s power, resulting in the relaxation of sumptuary laws. Until then, only the aristocracy, or maramba, could wear ikat woven in three colours (hinggi kombu), while commoners, or kabihu, could only wear ikat woven in two colours (hinggi kaworu).

Warp ikat is an intricate and labor-intensive weaving technique. The warp threads are dressed on the loom and then wrapped and tied (often with dried palm leaves) to form patterns. When the partially-bound threads are removed from the loom and placed in the dye bath, the bound sections resist the dye. The newly patterned warps then go back on the loom and are woven into cloth. The ikat technique produces individualized designs with slightly blurred edges; these variations provide dynamism within the repeated patterns. Like batik, the precise origins of the ikat technique remain uncertain, however, the variations in resist-dye processes throughout Indonesia, and the Indian Ocean world, strongly suggest an evolution through trade and migration.

The textile designs contemporary weavers choose to create reflect Sumba’s culture and highlight colonial legacies as well as ongoing transnational exchange. As anthropologist and textile scholar Jill Forshee has argued “Through time, the region’s textiles have been transformed consistently in their designs and uses, in response to influences within, between, and beyond village realms”.

Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth, that originated in Java, Indonesia. This method of dyeing in which patterned areas are covered with wax so they will not receive the colour. The method is used mainly on cottons and in the traditional colours of blue, brown, and red. Multicoloured and blended effects are obtained by repeating the dyeing process several times, with the initial pattern of wax boiled off and another design applied before redyeing.In Java, by the mid-18th century, a small copper crucible with a handle and narrow applicator spout for applying the wax came into use, producing a much more elaborately patterned cloth; a further Javanese innovation was the wood-block wax applicator introduced in the 19th century.

• Please note, that due to antique nature of the fabrics there may be signs of past experiences - we believe it adds value and a meaning to the garments.
• Some naturally dyed fabrics even after lasting generations may leave colour
• Please keep in mind that all Karatoyaa pieces are Dry Clean only with the Professional service provider.

COMPOSITION

UPCYCLED COTTON

SIZE & FIT

ONESIZE
waist - 146cm
sleeve - 62cm

CARE 

• Please note, that due to antique nature of the fabrics there may be signs of past experiences - we believe it adds value and a meaning to the garments.
• Some naturally dyed fabrics even after lasting generations may leave colour
• Please keep in mind that all Karatoyaa pieces are Dry Clean only with the Professional service provider.