In recent seasons, ethnic-pattern themes have ranged from tribal woven and ikat designs to mosaic and tapestry influences. Refreshing this ongoing direction, textile surface designers are now drawing inspiration from ancient Japanese shibori dyeing.
Broadly speaking, shibori techniques create intricate resist patterns via fabric manipulation prior to dyeing. Depending on fabric construction and desired pattern, designers will tie, twist, fold, compress, stitch or mask materials, which, when dyed and released from confines, result in elaborate all over repeat or engineered designs. Upscale fashion houses like Christian Dior and Issey Miyake are taking to the age-old tradition, and Turkish denim mill Calik views it as an emerging trend.
On an industrial scale, digital and screen prints that imitate shibori appeal to ready-to-wear, fast fashion, premium and mass markets. Blurred patterns, layered tones and uneven coloring are key to recreating handmade looks. These more affordable iterations will work for S/S 15 jeanswear, swimwear, jerseys and tees, as well as women’s separates and juniors’ dresses. Men’s board and cargo shorts are new canvases for this textile trend, which could also extend into women’s bags, young men’s knapsacks and home décor.
This video clip shows how the shibori dyeing process works.
Images and video courtesy Calik Denim