Ibara is the birthplace of Japanese denim. In fact, by 1970, Ibara was producing 70% of Japan's denim fabric. I bet you didn't know that!
That's why it was a real treat to get the chance to visit one of the places that helped make it that way.
This textile factory, opened in 1917, has made a major contribution to the city's development. I found it fascinating that they still use the traditional method of production, which produces a fabric of excellent quality.
This fabric is still exported in large numbers to the USA and Europe for prestigious brands such as Lee, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Being able to follow every stage of the fabric's processing, from the freshly-picked cotton wool to the finished fabric, was very educational and gave me a better understanding of the complexity and expertise required to produce high-quality denim.
To continue my experience with Ibara's denim, I was able to visit one of the stores that uses this material.
In fact, H.Faire is an artisanal store that bases its work on the use of denim, in this case Ibara denim. Various objects are made from this denim, and that's what I was invited to do that day.
The workshop began with a presentation of the different tools used to make objects. Although the space isn't very large, it's impressive to see that all the necessary tools are concentrated in one place for greater ease of use.
After this introduction, I was able to start making the satchel, using a sewing machine to assemble the pre-prepared pieces of fabric. Following a precise order, I also used a machine to attach the buttons.
Then I made an Uchiwa fan using other techniques. This round-edged fan consists of a bamboo part, which was already prepared. Glue is applied to it with a brush, then a sheet of Japanese paper is affixed. Care must be taken to center the paper so that the fan is symmetrical. Of course, you can cut off any excess paper to correct the overall shape. To make the glue dry quickly, we pass the whole thing through a heating press. At 130°C, it takes just 20 seconds to set. After selecting the denim pattern, I reapply glue to the opposite side of the fan and repeat the operation with the denim. So that the two surfaces don't separate, and for a better finish, a small strip of denim is glued along the entire edge of the fan.
Although I'm not used to this kind of manual work, I was able to make a functional satchel and a nice Uchiwa fan. Thanks to Hanako, the skilled artisan, I was able to do it correctly and with confidence.
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