Japanese Craftsmen and Their Artisanal Characteristics

The allure of Japanese textiles lies in what the eye cannot see. Japanese craftsmen’s consistent attention to the smallest details mirrors the tendencies of the artisanal perfectionist.

Their ability to navigate intricate and delicate technology helps to develop the quality and characteristics of each textile. This is what enables them to create enchanting textures and fabrics with remarkable functions.

These craftsmen create wondrous textures and highly functional fabrics that keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, as well as fabrics that are water-resistant yet airy. These are the fabrics that enable comfort-performance clothing to meet the needs of our modern lifestyles and to provide comfort at all times. “Well-performance” is a phrase that I’ve been proposing in the product sector for the last few years.

PROFILE

Michiko Ikenishi

Michiko Ikenishi joined Itochu Fashion System Co, Ltd in 1981. As Creative Director, Ms Ikenishi has since been a consultant mainly in trend forecasting and disseminating information in the fashion industry and other fields. She joined France’s Trend Union from 1986 to 2007, during which time she was involved in building and disseminating information on trends and introducing Japanese textiles through the “Trend Union Japanese Fabric Book.” From 1999, she supported Japanese exports by proposing Japanese textiles to top designer brands in Europe through the JFK (Japan Fabric Knowledge) project. From 2007 she was the Japanese representative on the Première Vision trend concertation. Since 2008, she has been a committee member of the Intercolor Concept Committee at the Japan Fashion Color Association