Many of the beautiful designs used across the Suzuhiro packaging and print material is made using a traditional Japanese art called Katazome.
Katazome (型染め) is a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil. The stencils used by the Suzuhiro artists are cut by hand. With this kind of resist dyeing, a rice flour mixture is applied using a brush or a tool such as a palette knife. Pigment is added by hand-painting or immersion in a dye. Where the paste mixture covers and permeates the cloth, dye applied later will not penetrate.
Katazome on thin fabrics shows a pattern through to the back; on thicker or more tightly woven fabrics, the reverse side is a solid color, usually indigo blue for cotton fabrics. The stencils are properly placed and the panels joined carefully and exhibit a beautiful and natural pattern. The handmade qualities and skill of the Katazome are refined over years.
One attraction of katazome was that it provided an inexpensive way for over-all patterns similar to expensive woven brocades to be achieved on cotton. As with many everyday crafts of Japan it developed into a respected art form of its own.
The Suzuhiro designs change with the seasons and products, trying to represent the packaged goods and detail given to the creation of each product. We encourage you to come and explore the beautiful world of katazome with Suzuhiro.
