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CONCEPT

Traditional Industry Combining Wazarashi and Design

Have you ever heard of “Wazarashi”? Wazarashi is a bleaching technique that has been widely used for a long time, and is indispensable in the making of towels and yukata. Many people think of the soft texture it creates when they hear the term “bleached cotton”. Our goal is to incorporate the appeal of this “Wazarashi” into the interior art settings of many people’s homes. We took these thoughts and put them into the creation of WASIL, a new type of interior decoration that combines long-cherished traditional techniques with modern art.

Thoughts on WASIL

Sankyo Sarashi, creator of WASIL, excels in "Wazarashi" bleaching, which has developed the local industry of Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, home to a number of "Tenugui" hand towel dyeing factories. Sakai is considered a prime location for making bleached cotton fabric and is widely known for its high quality products. Wazarashi is a process that removes impurities from the fabric’s natural color, leaving it a pure white. Sankyo Sarashi is currently led by its third president, Taiji Nakano, and employs craftsmen of multiple generations that carry on the tradition of Wazarashi. Their work requires time and effort to avoid putting stress on the fabric, leaving with the unique texture and water absorption that it has been long known for. Wazarashi has been certified as a Sakai City Traditional Industry, and WASIL was developed with the hopes of connecting this traditional craft to the future. “WASIL” is written in Japanese as“Washiru” . Carrying the meaning “to keep a record of tradition and texture”, WASIL acts as a record of your memories in the form of interior art.

Weaving

Small-width textiles are a part of Japan’s culture. They are made by putting yarn in a boat-shaped object called a shuttle, which glides over the warp yarn to weave the fabric. One characteristic of a shuttle loom is that the tension on the yarn is not constant, so the yarn stretches and relaxes, so while it is not uniform it also creates cloth which is unburdened, giving it a uniquely soft texture.

Wazarashi & Mercerizing

The carefully woven fabric has a brownish color and also contains compounds that repel water and dyes, so the fabric is kept in a Wazarashi kettle for three days to carefully bleach it. This removes the impurities and pigments, leaving the fabric a pure white color and incredible water absorption properties. Then, by passing this Wazarashi fabric through Sankyo Sarashi’s narrow-width mercerizing machine 120m in length, the only of its kind in the world, the fabric is given a silky luster and also becomes receptive to dyeing with vivid colors.

Designing

Using the Fabric Art Line as a theme, a diverse collection of designs was created under the concept of “modern works that suit a wide range of living environments, offices, and commercial spaces". We are very particular about the quality and texture of the fabric, and these designs boast a feeling of comfort in their colors and appearance that is unique to WASIL. We are developing designs that are the only ones of their kind, made by designers who are active in the graphic design scene.

Dyeing

We take our finished designs and select the dyes and dyeing methods that can best reproduce them, and then dye them. The dyeing methods are inkjet, silkscreen, roll printing, hand dyeing, injection dyeing, and indigo dyeing. Some designs must pass through a number of dyeing facilities before a finished product is made. Fabric is a collection of yarn. Impurities are removed from the fabric (yarn) with the Wazarashi bleaching, and then colors are added at dyeing facilities.

LINEUP

Products Lineup

WASIL ai sayama

[Sun flower field]

Designed with acrylic paints for girls and cats playing in delicate and colorful flower fields. The flower field is colorfully told in the fabric. Parents and children of horses and foxes of lovers are also playing around.

AI22-TT160-I

AI24-TT56-I

AI22-TT160-I

25A-KM160-I

A girl and a cat staring at the stars in the night forest designed in two colors. Unicorns and rabbits also wish for shooting stars. A night story of a girl and a cat paired with the "Sun Flower Field".

[Night Forest]

AI23-TT160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 38.5cm

¥22,000

[Night Forest S]

A short version of "Night Forest" designed in two colors. Girls and cats staring at the stars, their night story.

AI24-TT56-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 38.5cm

¥22,000

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥17,600

ai sayama

DESIGNER

ai sayama

Artist / illustrator

Born in 1984, from Yaita City, Tochigi Prefecture.

After graduating from the Department of History, Faculty of Letters, Sophia University, he started painting in earnest while working for an IT company. In 2016, he became independent as an artist with the motto "Making the world more exciting".

With motifs such as cats, youkai, nature, crowds and people's lives, he specializes in detailed brush strokes, various colors, and expressions with stories.

From 2019, stationery and miscellaneous goods in collaboration with manufacturers will be on sale nationwide.

2015 Selected for TSUTAYA "NEXT BREAK CREATORS PROJECT".

2018 Received UNKNOWN ASIA "Moxy Osaka Honmachi Award" and "Takafumi Yokoyama (MBS TV) Award".

WASIL

25A-KM160-I

[BIRD]

Hummingbird, a "bird that brings happiness" that emerges from white line art. Fly lightly through the beautiful gradation of forest dyed with injection dyeing.

28A-GK56-T

Randomly draw on a transparent fabric with a delicate pen drawing that feels the Scandinavian design of a plant motif. Three types of graphics are used to brighten the life scene with the vitality of flowers.

[botanical pattern]

29A-RL160-I (mint)

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

[botanical pattern]

29A-RL160-I (pink)

Size: approx. 160cm x 38cm

¥17,600

29A-RL160-I (pink)

[botanical pattern]

29A-RL160-I (yellow)

Size: approx. 160cm x 38cm

¥17,600

[TOMATO]

Graphically expresses the vivid colors that stand out. Please enjoy the pop space where the sizzle of tomatoes is exciting in the exhibition scene.

27A-TT160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 38cm

¥17,600

27A-TT160-I

Colorful paprika made by traditional dyeing. Arranged with simple pattern graphics, it creates a colorful food scene and kitchen.

[PAPRIKA]

30A-SB160-T

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 38cm

¥17,600

The silhouette of a spoon floats on the surface of the water. The design pairs Kasuri pattern fabric that combines thick and thin yarn with the two-tone blue and white ripples of the water for an appearance that will add a cooling touch to any space.

9A-MAS160-I

［Floating spoon］

Live the “slow life”, where you can relax, enjoy your days, and focus on the quality of your life. This idea is expressed with a wave motif of light colors. The design overlaps the texture of the fabric.

［slow tone］

1A-AO160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 38.5cm

¥17,600

Children frolicking energetically in a treehouse on a white fabric canvas. These children in the picture are having an adventure. The margins and colors are left to their boundless imaginations.

7A-TT160-I

［Treehouse]

A jazzy design that you can almost hear the rhythm from, on soft, supple fabric that is thin enough to have an air of transparency. Decorate a room with this like you would with an album cover.

［JAZZ]

5A-GK160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Scenery reflecting on the water is expressed with only vertical and horizontal brush strokes. High-contrast blurring and friction combine with the texture of the light and dark portions of the fabric to create a design with a fluctuating appearance.

12A-KM160-I

［Mizukage L]

The expression of a bird flying from a tree against a simple pattern on fabric with a Kasuri-like styling. The way it contrasts against the background depicts the passage of time and an uplifting impression.

［Tree of Migrating Birds]

11A-MAS160-S

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥22,000

A simple graphic with a circular motif on fabric with an airy texture and a small square pattern. The vivid coloring accents the rhythmic and playful use of space.

14A-SB160-I

［Moving circle］

The white Western-style tableware contrasts boldly against the Japanese air of the indigo-dyed background. The thread lines in the fabric highlight the rich navy blue color created by the indigo dyeing process.

［Dining Table]

4A-KM160-AS

Size: approx. 160cm x 38cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 38.5cm

¥27,500

A work with small rectangular patterns scattered about the stripes for a look that can be displayed horizontally, vertically, or in any direction. A world of the metaphysical, where pillars become stairs and springs of water become the moon. Dream and reality, the coexistence of being and nothingness.

13A-KM56-I

［Being and Nothingness]

A profile of a cat expressed in a monotone photograph, overlapping with light texture of the fabric, which highlights the cat's fur, fixed gaze, pattern, and form.

［Fabric Cat Wall］

17P-TT160-I

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥17,600

A shorter version of “Mizukage”, in which scenery reflecting on the water is expressed with only vertical and horizontal brush strokes. The shift in balance creates a different atmosphere.

13A-KM56-I

［Mizukage S]

Repeated injection dyeing creates a unique texture and blending of colors to the curve-motif, free-hand design. The texture of the fabric and the multitude of colors allows it to suit a wide range of interior styles.

［Color Curves］

8A-ASS56-T

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥22,000

A shorter version of “Treehouse”, which depict adventurous children in a tree. This piece looks like it could have come straight out of a picture book.

18A-KM56-I

［Treehouse S]

Abstract painting with a free touch and balanced layout. The high-quality fabric has an appearance that resembles Japanese Washi paper, giving this piece a look that's equally at home in both Japanese and Western settings.

［Fuzzy Composition］

20A-SK56-I

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

The tranquil mountains and bustling city are depicted only in shades of blue and red on fabric woven with a pattern that has a rainy look. The contrasting landscapes blend together in the center, giving this piece a design that you display with either end pointing upward.

21A-KM56-I

［reflexion］

Raw-Cut

A distinctive feature of WASIL is that the edges of the fabric are not sewn together like a towel but are left as-is in a “raw-cut” style. It is said that small-width textiles are traditionally raw cut is that this lets them dry quickly and stay clean, and that they can be used immediately after being cut in case of incidents such as broken sandal straps or first aid for injuries.

If any frayed threads come out from the raw-cut end, please carefully cut them off with scissors.

Size: approx. 56cm x 39cm

¥14,300

Details and colors may differ between the photo and the actual product.

FABRIC FRAME

8 types of 3D art

During the bleaching process, pieces of the fabric are inevitably created. The fabric cannot be delivered to the customer and is a loss. When I came across the word sustainability, I wondered if this fabric could be applied to interior art, and after repeated trial and error, I designed it as FABRIC FRAME in a new shape. Eight types of three-dimensional art made by spinning bleached fabrics in various ways. The reborn pure white fabric creates a space.

Standard FABRIC FRAME. The bleached fabric stretched flat and pinned cuts out the space as a window to inflate your imagination.

FF-1

[taira]

By gently folding back a piece of fabric and decorating it in three dimensions, we created the soft image of Japanese bleaching as art.

[yure]

FF-2

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥8,800

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥13,200

The natural wrinkled fabric gives various expressions depending on the viewing angle, creating a casual atmosphere in the space.

FF-3

[shiwa]

Randomly stretched bleached fabric. The bushy thread from the cut fabric conveys the traditional Japanese bleaching process to the present day.

[fusa]

FF-4

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥16,500

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥22,000

The gently wrapped bleached fabric becomes a beautiful work of art, and while retaining a chic atmosphere, it is fascinating with the fun of movement.

FF-5

[kukuru]

FF-6

The bleached fabric is likened to the surface of the water, creating a shape that creates a product with a three-dimensional effect that has a gentle unevenness, and matches various interior scenes.

[nure]

FF-6

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥22,000

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥22,000

By arranging the 〇 shapes of the fabric vertically and horizontally, many patterns emerge as art, and the multiple layers of fabric color various spaces.

FF-7

[maru]

The thread left like a wave crest on the cut fabric expresses how the bleached fabric is made as a woven fabric by combining warp and weft.

[ito]

FF-8

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥27,500

Size: approx. 35cm x 35cm

¥27,500

Since the products are handmade one by one, there are some differences depending on the individual.
Details and colors may differ between the photo and the actual product.

[fossil]

Draw with the fossil of Plesiosauria as a motif. The difference in the color of the background of the deposited strata expresses the eternal flow of time, wanders in the fossilized space-time, and is a new life born in the present life.

25A-KM160-I

A blue whale that floats on bleached fabric. Is the one-stroke line art, coupled with a monochromatic background, swimming deep in the sea or floating in the sky in a dream without sound?

[WHALE]

26A-GK160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

［numbers］

A number motif visualized with ten different numbers. The Art Deco coloring gives it a look that suits styles from pop to chic to simple.

10A-RKB160-I

A gorgeous botanical pattern is expressed in a singular silver coloring over striped fabric. Its subtle elegance creates a calm and cozy atmosphere.

［silver garden］

2A-ASS160-R

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥22,000

The striped painting is bound by the texture of the white fabric to create an a fluctuation that looks like an optical illusion. As you approach it, a set of lines appears, and as you pull away the sense of time visualized by the waxing and waning of the moon appears.

6A-KR160-I+

［Moon Phases]

Fabric woven from high-quality yarn spun by removing cotton with a comb-like device, adorned with a photo of tranquil forest scenery. The single leaf fallen onto mossy trees create an air of tranquility.

［GREEN］

16P-TT160-I

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥22,000

Size: approx. 160cm x 39cm

¥17,600

FABRIC FRAME

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