Innovation from nature
At Shohei, founded by creative director Lisa Pek and CFO Shohei Yamamoto in 2016, sustainable decisionmaking starts with the dyeing process. Pek says the brand, which operates out of Japan and Austria, has been working with a Kyoto-based artisan to procure textiles dyed using traditional kakishibu methods.
During the kakishibu dyeing process, textiles are immersed in the fermented juice of unripe persimmon fruit - an alternative to popular synthetic dyes, which can be damaging to soil and waterways. After the dyeing process, the fabric is tanned in the sun, creating orange hues. The kakishibu dyeing process also creates a water-resistant effect when oxidised in the air, and provides antibacterial properties. "This is something you might find in a tech fabric," Pek explained in a video call, "but it's already there in na
Director of Japan Fashion Week Organisation ture."
Shohei also sources fabric dyed using shibori - a hand-dyeing technique that dates back to the eighth century - from a family-run business in Nagoya. Like kakishibu, shibori uses natural dyes (typically derived from indigo) and is less harmful to the environment than its synthetic counterparts.
In a similar spirit of eco-friendly production, Japanese designer Hiroaki Tanaka, founder of Studio Membrane, has been working with biodegradable protein resins derived from wool - the basis for 'The Claws of Clothes', a collection of avant garde,
Using tech to combat waste
As fabric choices are integral to sustainable fashion, new technology and machinery is also at the forefront of this environmental movement, decreasing the amount of fabric wasted during pattern-making, sampling and sewing.
In this arena, Japanese manufacturer Shima Seiki has set the standard with its computerized Wholegarment knitting machines. Unlike the traditional way of producing knitwear, where individual pieces are knitted then sewn together, Wholegarment items are seamlessly knitted in their entirety in a singular piece.
According to Masaki Karasuno, a Shima Seiki spokesperson, up to 30% of fabric is wasted in standard production, when individual pieces of pattern are cut from bolts of fabric before being sewn together. "All of that is eliminated when an entire garment can be knitted in one piece directly off the machine," he disclosed.
Wholegarment's machinery gives brands the option to produce clothing on demand -- another way to reduce industry waste. "Mass producing garments based on projected demand tends to overshoot actual demand (and is the reason) why there's a lot of overstock... which results in waste," Karasuno explained. "Wholegarment can produce the number of garments that are required, when they are required.