ultraviolet 3D woven japanese textiles by hosoo

‘ultraviolet’ by hosoo

japanese textile brand hosoo, was established in 1688. they are the pioneering company of the textile industry in nishizin, the centre of kimono manufacturing in kyoto, developing fabrics which trace back to their history and the region’s silk industry of the 6th century. known for their use of traditional japanese three-dimensional weaving techniques and rich textures incorporated into contemporary materials, the company uses a special yarn dyeing and weaving technique developed over 1200 years ago called nishijin-ori to produce their textiles.

at maison et objet 2012, the company presented their ‘novelties collection’ a new selection of fabrics. the designs of this series push the boundaries of traditional weaving techniques to create sophisticated materials that are ideal for both interior and fashion applications. they offer a rich color scheme which ranges from dual-tone to multi-tone, depicting subtle textural patterns, to bolder graphics. among these is ‘ultraviolet’, a textile which incorporates the woven three-dimensional pattern of a sting ray on its surface. produced in white on black, or black on white, the underwater creature appears as if it is glowing, the means in which the fabric is produced giving it an ‘ultraviolet’ effect.

‘ultraviolet’ depicts a sting ray which has been woven into its surface

detail of the weaving

general view of the pattern

masataka hosoo portrait © designboom

how the traditional three-dimensional weaving is done

view of the loom with the production of fabric in process

shuttles (left) and dyed yarn (right)