The Murase family has been hand-adorning fabrics using traditional and complex techniques for over 100 years. Now in the fourth generation, Hiroyuki Murase, the oldest son, has combined his design education with his families craft to create ‘Suzusan’ haute couture lighting and accessories.

Shibori is a centuries-old traditional japanese textile finishing technique. It refers to the treatment of fabrics before before the dyeing process. Certain parts of the textile’s surface are folded in, tied off, or taken in. This manipulation of the material leads to unique patterns and textures. Although originally used on silk, wool and plant fibers, the same approach can also be applied to polyester fabrics. When treated with the shibori technique and heated under steam, the chemically-produced textiles as well as leather result in a permanent three-dimensional surface.

Due to the variety of different techniques which developed in Arimatsu, no two craftsmen have the exact same outcome. With the slight nuances, each artisan has a ‘signature’, resulting in unique lighting sculptures.

Images copyright: Desingboom

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