The Shibori Collection
photography by Matt Hall @alwaysanalog
The Shibori collection is a collection of waxed cotton bags I have been meaning to create for a while now and I am really pleased to be able to launch it this autumn.
"Shibori" is a Japanese word to describe a dyeing technique for creating different patterns on fabric. While I don't pretend to compete with any of the Shibori masters and artists, I do believe it is the most accurate way of describing this collection.
These bags are very strongly influenced by ceramics and the use of natural clay, and in particular Raku fired ceramics which give a very similar earthy colour pattern, also a Japanese technique.
Each bag from this series is completely unique as each panel has been painstakingly folded, clamped, wrapped or tied by hand before dyeing. A lot of the panels are created by over-dyeing fabric which means the fabric has been dyed a colour prior to folding and dyeing again.
The linings have been carefully selected to bring out the colours in the panels as the waxed fabric I create has a translucent quality to it. White patterns for instance will be more defined and crisper with a white lining, whereas pink hues will look warmer with a pink lining. Some of the linings are also dyed to match the panel patterns.
The finished dyed pieces are then waxed by hand, giving the finished bags a unique paper-like delicate texture and warm saturated earthy colours.
There are only 14 pieces in this collection and although I am planning to extend this collection as some point hopefully, this will be it for 2020.
If you are after a particular pattern and size, please get in touch with me as I love working on bespoke pieces.
I hope you will enjoy browsing the collection as much as i did creating it,
Alison.