These all-new shirts artfully combine the traditional chusen dyeing techniques of Shinedozome Marukyu Shouten, a maker of yukata robes and hand towels since 1899, with a series of playful designs from the leading creative team Smiles.
For its bumpy textures that produce an especially wonderful feel, kobai textile has been selected for the material out of a wide range of wazarashi material that is used in yukata robes.
Kobai is a form of 100% cotton wazarashi textile with a systematic grid weave and fast-drying properties. Featuring a Japanese apricot motif, it has an undulating surface that is pleasant to the touch.
Ten patterns available.
The designs look new but are actually taken from Marukyu Shouten's extensive archive of historical stencil patterns.
Standard classical motifs such as bracken and ume (Japanese apricot) have been restyled with modern designs and colour schemes to produce a fresh, new look for the modern era.
The basic shape, inspired by the loose-fitting shirts typically worn at local festivals in Japan, is complemented by modern features including adjustable snap fasteners that can be used to alter the overall outline as well as side pockets.
The traditional loose-fitting style is suitable for both male and female body shapes — a truly unisex garment.
Tewsen shirts are an all-new take on a traditional garment. The name Tewsen is a play on the Japanese word "chusen", which refers to the classic dyeing technique.
Enjoy its world view in a casual way.
Ume - Biscus is inspired by the image of a vast sea of Japanese apricot blossoms. Spring outside with lightness in your step.
●Size
Medium: width = 56 cm, length = 73 cm
Large: width = 60 cm, length = 78 cm
●Materials : kobai cotton
*Garments are not pre-washed for sizing purposes.
* Colours may bleed during initial use due to sweat or rubbing. This is due to the nature of the dyeing process and is not a product fault.
* Due to the nature of the production process, individual garments may differ slightly with respect to dimensions, dye colours and pattern resolution.
* Due to the nature of the production process, individual garments may differ slightly with respect to patterning.
Marukyu Shouten
http://shinedozome.com/
During the Meiji era, yukata (summer cotton kimonos) and hand towels dyed in vivid colourful patterns were part of everyday life.
The invention of the distinctive Japanese dyeing technique known as Chusen paved the way for a huge variety of different fabrics.
Founded in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, in 1899, Marukyu Shouten sold a wide range of the Chusen fabrics that were so beloved by the people of Tokyo.
Even today, it has many Chusen fabrics on offer.
The Chusen dyeing process begins with the application of barrier glue to the fabric through a special template.
The barrier glue prevents the dye from reaching the fabric.
Once a section has been dyed, the template is removed and the fabric is folded over to expose a new section, then the process is repeated.
After 20 to 40 repetitions, glue is applied to create little mounds on the sections where different colours are to be used.
A kettle that looks like a watering can is used to pour the desired colour into the mound. A vacuum pump beneath the fabric draws the dye through the fabric.
The fabric is then turned over and the entire process is repeated on the other side. This produces the distinctive striking appearance of Chusen dyed fabrics, which do not have a front and back like conventional fabrics.
Chusen dyeing was a revolutionary breakthrough at the time, because it was the first ever mass production process for fabric dyeing.
Unlike modern garments that are mass-produced by machinery, however, Chusen fabrics still require each and every process to be performed by hand.
This is why every product is slightly different, with its own individual quirks and characteristics. This is the warmth of genuine handmade products.
The intricate variations and blurring patterns are something that only expert artisans can create.
Marukyu Shouten offers a wide variety of yukatas, hand towels, and other textile products created using traditional techniques and methods under the Shin Edozome brand name.
As well as faithfully reproducing a huge number of templates from the past, the store also produces innovative new designs as part of its product offerings, designed to appeal to the modern consumer while also evoking a sense of nostalgia.
It is committed to working closely with dye artists, textile experts, and dye workshops to preserve and promote the traditional Chusen dyeing technique.
