―This one is about the Kyoto store, right? How long has it been since it opened?

Five years. And this shirt was made as an item for that fifth anniversary.

―This shirt… it's dyed, isn't it?
It is. The dyeing was done by Kyoto Montsuki, a workshop that has been practicing Kyo-kuro montsuki-zome for more than a hundred years. They've long dyed kimono, but eventually developed a technique called Shinkuro - a process that achieves an extremely deep, true black and can be applied to Western clothing, too. If I brought them a white garment, for example, they could dye it pitch-black. They offer services like that.

―A true long-established workshop. When did you first encounter Kyoto Montsuki?

Last spring/summer, when Graphpaper did the "Sumi" collection. I visited them then. I said, "I want this to be completely black." That's where the relationship began. This time, they dyed a striped fabric for us.

―Ah! Looking closely, it isn't solid black. Why did you start with a striped base?
A while back, we had created an original striped fabric, and I'd been wanting to use it for something. While talking with the Kyoto store staff, they told me, "Our customers really love shirts. We'd love something special for Kyoto." So I thought, well, since it's Kyoto — maybe we should have Kyoto Montsuki black-dye it.

―But product dyeing usually starts with a plain fabric, right?

Exactly. So I asked them to do a test: what would happen if we dyed stripes pitch-black? And the result was this — it looks solid from afar, but close up you can see a faint shadow stripe, almost like a pattern blurred into the black. We all thought, "This is interesting." Since it's the fifth anniversary for Graphpaper Kyoto, we decided to make this the anniversary item.

―I see. But if you were going to dye it, you had a lot of color options besides black, didn't you?

What struck me about Kyoto Montsuki was how they take a traditional, historical technique - dyeing kimono and bolts of cloth - and carry it forward into the future. That approach overlaps with how we design clothing: working within a framework of rules, while still trying to create something simple yet innovative. And the depth of their black - that was the other reason.
―The depth of the tone?

Yes. We've dyed garments black many times before, but they never become truly black. But here, the black is really deep. It's incredible. The company president told me, "It's darkness itself."

―That's a rather ominous phrase.

He's the fourth-generation head of the workshop. One time he suddenly asked me, "Do you know what 'true black' is?" I said no, and he replied, "It's darkness. Meaning there is no light." We perceive color by seeing light, so a black surface is simply one with very little light. I don't know their methods - the process is probably a closely guarded secret - but I suspect this black absorbs light in some way.

―A real black box, the truth hidden in the dark.

There's a process done after the dyeing, and I think that's the key, but I don't know how it works. Still, the blackness alone is enough for me (Laughs). With regular dyeing, I can pretty much imagine how it will turn out. This time, it felt genuinely experimental - "What would happen if we used their Shinkuro technique?"

―There are three styles?Three. A regular-collar shirt, a band-collar shirt, and a women's dress. The regular and band-collar versions are one-size oversized. The Kyoto store has many female customers, so I wanted both men and women to enjoy it.

―Seeing the actual shirts, the depth of the black is striking, but the stripes shift slightly when light hits them. I don't think I've seen anything like it.

It's strange, right? If you didn't know it was post-dyed, you might think the effect came from weaving. And seeing these hanging in the Kyoto store - they look perfect in that space.

―And the puckering around the seams gives it that garment-dyed character.

Exactly. The fabric has a crisp hand, but also a slight drape - almost like a kimono's modest elegance. That presence is really beautiful. Formal Japanese wear is traditionally black, too, so I like how that cultural element is incorporated into this piece.

―Looking at it like this, black has countless expressions. Especially when paired with different materials.

I personally prefer blue-leaning blacks to reddish blacks. When you discharge-dye a reddish black, it turns brown; a blue-black becomes more gray.

―I know what you mean. But lots of modern garments seem to use red-leaning black, especially mass-produced ones.

I wonder why. Maybe something about synthetic dyes makes that easier. But when I look at a black garment and think "This is strong… almost aggressive," it's usually a reddish black. Blue-black feels calmer, cooler. But this time the black goes beyond that. It isn't red or blue. It doesn't "aim toward black" - it steals light. It feels like an entirely different dimension of black.―And because black is such an everyday color, that makes it refreshing.

When we did the "Sumi" collection, we used the same dyeing method on fabric prepared for dyeing, and it became so black that it wouldn't match any other black garment. It stood out too much. The tone was completely different.―Truly mysterious. No wonder they won't reveal the process.

They definitely don't want it copied. No matter how much I ask, Kyoto Montsuki's president won't tell me anything (Laughs).

―Have you made anniversary items for the Kyoto store before?

Yes, for the third anniversary, we made items using washi. People in Kyoto enjoyed it, and so did visitors. I hope this black-dyed shirt will be appreciated in the same way.

Contact
Graphpaper KYOTO
Address / 88-1 Daikoku-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
tel. 075-212-2228
Closed / Wednesdays