ATELIER KYOTO NISHIJIN｜NISHIJIN TEXTILES

Brand

Aiming to create traditional crafts for everyday use

ATELIER KYOTO NISHIJIN

• 2019
• NISHIJIN TEXTILES
• Shinji Sakamoto

History

Japanese manufacturing will live on

Atelier Kyoto Nishijin was launched in Kyoto in 2019.

We create stylish items with the premise of incorporating traditional Japanese crafts into everyday life.

After working in the Nishijin textile industry for 10 years, our founder moved to the ladies' bag industry and witnessed the backend of the Japanese apparel industry.

He felt that the practice of selling low-priced products produced overseas by low-wage workers was just "cheap," and wondered if Japanese manufacturing was still capable of competing on the world stage.

Therefore, he decided to challenge the world with Nishijin textiles, which have maintained a solid manufacturing tradition.

Nishijin textiles got its name in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), but the origin of the technique dates back to the Kofun period (1336-1573).

Since then and until the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912), weaving was done only by hand, one by one on a tebata.

The technique was in decline for a time due to a combination of various factors, but with the spread of industrialization, looms were born.

It was around this time that Jacquard weaving began.

Nishijin textile has developed uniquely in Japan, incorporating techniques introduced from the continent, and has come to be known as "Nishijin textile when it comes to silk fabrics.

Characteristic

Pick it up because it's cute, enjoy it because it's Nishijin textile.

The aging of craftsmen in traditional industries and the shortage of successors are serious problems, and various efforts are being made to prevent the disappearance of old techniques.

Various Nishijin textiles are also being produced to match modern lifestyles, but many of them are made from scraps of kimono, obi, and other Japanese clothing fabrics, which seems incongruous.

Therefore, we wanted to emphasize the image of "Pick it up because it's cute, enjoy it because it’s Nishijin textile”.

rather than "Nishijin textile has good quality.

" It would be a waste if traditional crafts were to remain stored away forever.

We want to create peoples’ favorite items that they will want to use every day.

To achieve this, we plan our original products from the patterns and color schemes and focus on the balance.

We make our products based on the criteria of whether or not we’d want our own family members to use them, and whether or not they are cute or not.

For Customers

Find your favorite Japanese goods.

Our stylish Japanese goods that you will want to use every day are made by skilled craftsmen using reliable Jacquard weaving techniques.

All items are made of pure silk and can be used with both Japanese and Western outfits.

We have mixed Japanese and Western elements, old and new, in abundance.

For example, Nishijin textile and Kyo-gumi-himo are a combination of traditional crafts, gingham checks and tartan checks are incorporated, and staggered plaid and camouflage patterns are combined.

Nishijin textile is characterized by yarn-dyed silk threads that produce vivid patterns in a variety of colors, but we are completely original from the stage of creating color schemes and patterns.

For this reason, we are proud to say that although there are many Nishijin textile products on the market, none of them have the same colors and patterns.

We hope you will find your favorite item and enjoy a rich everyday life.