It feels like a baby’s skinas it wraps softly, gently around you.Working on large vintage looms,sometimes dramatically, sometimes quietly, precisely, she creates free-spirited shawls, one by one.Breathing new life into a 220-year old tradition—now is the rebirth of a Japanese fabric: Banshu - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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| ■ What is Banshu-ori? Banshu-ori, or Banshu weave, is a weaving style from the North Harima District of Hyogo Prefecture in Southwest Japan near Kyoto. Made by using the saki-zome technique (pre-dying, where the thread is dyed before weaving), this weaving style has a long history dating back to 1792. In the postwar era, Nishiwaki City prospered as the center of the Banshu-ori industry as weavers collaborated with Western designers such as Burberry and Brooks Brothers ■ About the works of Tamaki Niime Tamaki Niime creates Banshu-ori in a new style with her vintage looms, which were previously used in Nishiwaki City between the 1960s and 1980s. Her work is characterized by a deep touch that feels somewhere between a hand weave and a machine weave. She uses primarily cotton in her weaves, sometimes mixing in silk for spring and summer items, and wool or cashmere for fall and winter pieces. Just as each person has an individual style, each piece is also unique. Tamaki accomplishes this by limiting her workshop to small-scale production, with Tamaki herself also weaving one-of-a-kind pieces. In each of her designs, she strives to create the feeling of “ma” or empty space, as if a painting. ■ Cleaning instructions 100% cotton shawls can be placed inside a fine mesh laundry net and machine washed. The shawls are meant to be used daily, and have been made for easy care. Shawls containing wool or silk should be dry-cleaned. Also, as you use your shawl, the natural feeling of the cotton fabric as it ages will add to the shawl’s character. * Tamaki Niime's Profile April, 1978. Born in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. March, 2003. Graduated from Dept. of Human Environmental Sciences, Mukogawa Women’s University, and ESMOD International Fashion University, Osaka Campus. Following this, she worked for about 1.5 years at a textile trading company, building a career as a pattern maker. December, 2004. Seeking to interpret and develop Banshu-ori in new ways, she created her workshop, tamaki niime. April, 2008. tamaki niime opened its store in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. May, 2009. Began development and production of original shawl designs. April, 2010. Store was moved to a different location in Nishiwaki City and re-opened as the weaving room & stock room. October, 2010. Two belt-operated looms made in 1965 installed in the weaving room. Tamaki herself begins weaving one-of-a-kind pieces. May, 2011. A rapier loom made in 1983 is installed in the weaving room. |
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