Evolving Traditional Craftsmanship in a Consumerist Culture: Suzusan Kicks off US Presentations in New York City

On November 6, 2024, international artisanal brand Suzusan teamed up with the World Shibori Network Foundation to kick off the first leg of their trunk show in none other than America’s fashion capital, New York City. 

Occurring at Tavern on The Green in the heart of Central Park, the event proudly displayed various hand-made Suzusan garments throughout the entrance and gift shop, alongside two clothing racks of pieces showcasing their latest 2024 A/W Collection, “MELANCHOLY.” Colorful cashmere sweaters lined guests’ peripherals, all with seemingly one-of-one patterns. Some were embellished with overlapping white circles, some more abstract lines of indigo blue dye across a white button-up, but all included small details hinting at exacting work — varying lines of white or color indicating where string or folds had previously been. 

Photo courtesy of Suzusan A/W24 Look book

If you know what tie-dyeing is and recall wearing the hippie uniform of a rainbow spiral t-shirt at some point in your adolescence, you might have an inkling of what ‘shibori’ is.

You may think they’re, more or less, the same thing —but you would be, more or less, wrong in that regard. 

Stemming from the Japanese verb shiboru, shibori is an ancient textile technique, dating back to 5th century China and later, Japan in the 8th century. Otherwise known as “shaped-resist dyeing,” it is commonly produced by manipulating fabrics in various, time-consuming pre-meditated patterns before dyeing. This can include: folding, crumpling, stitching, plaiting, plucking, twisting, clamping fabrics between boards, or wrapping around a pole. For further context, garments will typically “pass through four or five different pairs of hands” before completion, per the Suzusan website.

The brand’s story started in Arimatsu, Japan over 100 years ago where the Murase family has used the Arimatsu-Shibori techniques for five generations. This communal manufacturing process focuses on attentive craftsmanship, and dedication to uphold the cultural heritage while maintaining relevance in the modern day. 

“There are 241 government-designated traditional crafts in Japan as of October 2023. They range from woodwork, paper, cutlery, textiles and pottery from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Japan is truly a country with a culture of hand,” Suzusan, the Creative Director Hiroyuki ‘Hiro’ Murase said. 

The presentation started with a formal introduction by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, Founder of The World Shibori Network Foundation. Wada explained the origins of textile crafts as a whole, her experience and research with folk textile crafts, and the importance of preserving the heritage of craft makers across the East and Western hemispheres through events like these. Designers that practice slow fashion techniques, museum curators, and educators from FIT, Parsons, and Pratt Institute were in attendance. 

“Ancient needles like this, [found during the Paleolithic period] makes it clear that textile making is older than homo sapiens. Stitching is one of the most powerful and intensive uses of our body and mind,” Wada said. “Stitching is a powerful language, written in our DNA, and we must not forget it as a form of technology that is basic to human development. Clothing was a second skin and we mended it, took care of it. Now with mass production, we simply shed the skin.” 

The focus shifted to how the family-owned brand, Suzusan, uses shibori. Murasa showcased some of the brand’s most notable works and collaborations including working with Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, and even co-creating pieces for the Dior Fall 2013 Couture runway, later worn by Natalie Portman.  

More importantly, Murase set the scene for his connection and dedication to the craft’s preservation and how he is incorporating traditional shibori techniques to elevate intentional fashion practices in the consumerist zeitgeist we face today. 

In Japan, for something to qualify as “Traditional Craft,” it must meet certain criteria set by The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in the 1974 Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. These guidelines state that the product must be used in daily life, the main manufacturing process requires handicrafts, using traditional skills with raw materials, and that the product or technique has a history of over 100 years. 

Although 241 Japanese government-designated handicrafts may sound like a lot, there were once a lot more and the numbers continue to dwindle. According to Murase’s presentation, most handicraft enterprises only have one to five employees, and of those employees, 57% are over the age of 50. 

“When I came to Germany to study art, I became aware of the beauty of the craftsmanship from my homeland. At the same time, however, I saw the aging of the artisans and the accompanying dissolution of the tradition,” Murase said. “My father, who was in his late 50s at the time and was the youngest craftsman in Arimatsu, lamented that “in 15 years, there will be no craftsmen left in the area.”” 

Murase’s studies in the United Kingdom and Germany gave him both a widening global view and a deeper appreciation of his family’s work, sparking new inspiration to grow Suzusan and the shibori technique. By founding the label in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2008 the ancient, dying textiles were seen by new and fresh eyes, and placed into a contemporary context. 

Outside of expanding the demographics of the traditional craft, Suzusan continues to experiment and elevate their techniques, by producing not just clothes, but homewares including tablecloths, place settings, blankets, pillow covers, and even lighting fixtures. 

With evolution though, comes sacrifice. Some of these products are made with synthetic materials, meaning the artisans do not qualify technically as working in traditional handicrafts.  

“The craft industry has to survive. The craft in Japan, but all over the world, survives out of heritage. Heritage is like a verb, because it always evolves and innovates, connecting with the market and people’s lifestyles. That’s how tradition survives.” Wada said. 

The presentation concluded with an experiential practice of folding and dyeing papers as a simplified form of shibori. Led by World Shibori Network Foundation Trustee Board Member, David Salama, he described it can take up to three to six months for an artisan to just tie the textiles depending on technique. 

Like the new “MELANCHOLY” collection and much like colorful Rorschach inkblot tests, everyone’s papers were distinct to them. Blues and browns blended into muddy green pools, blue organic ovals perfectly melded into orange hues, reds and blues not even making contact and creating checkered patterns across the white background of the paper — exemplifying how shibori is about the act of creation, how meticulous attention to technique lends itself to various visuals. 

As of today, Murase described that the Suzusan production in Arimatsu has 23 employees between the ages of 20-30 working dailywith new interns every year coming from around the world to learn the craft. 

Brands like Suzusan and organizations like The World Shibori Network Foundation are quietly, but powerfully doing the work to preserve history through meticulous labors of love. They are conduits between the past and the future, showcasing the importance of intentional, contextual creation in a time where our identity is so closely linked to our purchasing power, our physical appearance, and fashion as an oversaturated industry. 

“I am very glad that with Suzusan, we have created an environment where younger generations can engage in craftsmanship every day,” Murase said. “The products made through patient daily work possess an inherent beauty that has accumulated over time in the region like layers of earth. Whenever I visit the workshops of various artisans, this very simple message is conveyed to me: Take good care of what you create and use it with care.”

Suzusan is based in Dusseldorf, Germany where Murase has spent the past 20 years with production still primarily in Arimatsu, Japan. Suzusan provides quality-crafted pieces to customers around the world in Europe, U.S., Asia and Australia.