Colour changes when persimmon tannin dyeing is dried in the sun.
I made many prototypes but could not get the colour I wanted.
At that time I happened to have a chat with the president of a tannery.
”The tanning process involves the use of tannin powder, which is used in the process of turning hides into leather.
If you put the powder on the skin, it gets coloured by the sunlight. It might be good for dyeing cloth".
He gave me this advice.
So I took the tannin powder to a dyeing factory in Kyoto to dye canvas.
In the fashion world, every year, new material proposals lead to business results.
Meetings with weavers, synthetic fibre manufacturers and trading companies.
Many prototypes are repeated each time for the next season.
Fashion is disposable, with daily routines of new proposals, whether they are good or bad.
I have been working in such a world for nearly 50 years.
Twenty years have passed since then.
The world of tannin dyeing with canvas is completely opposite.
For some reason, products made from this fabric seem to attract people.
Is it the power of the tannin soaked into the cloth?
Hiyoshimaru Watabe,
Tanntela Founder
I have been dyeing cotton and nylon fabrics with dyes for many years.
I wondered if I could dye fabrics using tannin powder used for leather.
I became interested and decided to take on the task.
Dissolving tannin powder in water. It was the first time I had ever done this.
Coughing up the fine powder, put it in a container, dissolve it in water and stir.
The smell when mixing the different types of powder is unbearable.
Sometimes a mask is a necessity.
When spreading the powder into the machine, the unexpected stickiness can be very difficult to handle.
Stir slowly with boiling water. It is a very time-consuming process.
LAB DIP colouring is done in consultation with the dye company.
Stable colours cannot be achieved like with chemical dyes.
Yoshikatsu Konishi,
The second generation of dyeing factory in Kyoto