VOL.11 | KYOTO BLACK DYE – ATON

VOL.11 | KYOTO BLACK DYE

2022.09.07

KYOTO BLACK" Black dyeing in Kyoto

In order to express the special black colour, ATON is dyed in black by craftsmen in Kyoto who dye only traditional black fabrics.

Originally used in ancient times as the ceremonial dress of Japanese Buddhist monks and as the crest of the samurai family, this dyed colour became popular in the Meiji era (1868-1912) as the formal haori hakama.

Notable events in the history of Japanese dyeing include the introduction of Chinese dyeing culture in the Asuka period and the introduction of modern European dyeing culture in the Meiji period.

Among the dyeing cultures introduced from China, black dyeing in particular had a major influence.

In the past, mordant dyeing (colour fixation) was carried out using natural iron-rich mud or well water.

For this reason, it is said that in order to dye black, dyeing with plants containing tannin had to be carried to places where there was mud or well water containing a lot of iron.

Even today, on Hachijojima, Kumejima, Amami Oshima and other islands, dyeing is carried out in natural iron-rich mud fields known as 'Numa'.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), when the black-dyeing industry was at its peak, it was necessary to repeatedly under-dye and colour over and over in order to produce a deep colour.

Black-dyed fabrics, which required a large amount of dye and a lot of time and effort, were extremely expensive.

In the Taisho era (1912-1926), natural dyes were replaced by synthetic dyes, but even today, the dyeing process is still based on the unique intuition of the dyeing artisan's skill and many years of experience, and the temperature of the dye is subtly changed while the fabric is repeatedly dyed up and down dozens of times to achieve the ultimate black colour.

The ultimate jet-black 'KYOTO BLACK' is expressed in ATON's signature item, the backed sweatshirt and hoody, using traditional black dyeing in Kyoto, which is usually difficult to dye black cotton backed fabrics.