Japan holds a deep respect for crafts and the artisans who continue traditions and I think that’s great. Japanese crafts are amazing: refined, beautiful, expressive and varied. It is something Japan should be proud of. My business, AiAii, grows indigo from seed to leaf, through drying and fermentation to make artworks and products. Indigo dyeing in Japanese is called “aizome”. As someone from the outside (UK) who has gone deep into a Japanese craft culture, “aizome”, I’d like to share a few thoughts and impressions.

At the heart of it I really appreciate the connection of traditional Japanese crafts with nature and the raw materials. From handmade washi paper, bamboo basket making, to ceramics or woodwork, high quality raw materials found in nature are the vital starting points. For me, growing our indigo from seed is really special, and because the farming and fermentation process is hard work and time consuming, when it comes to dyeing it really helps us value the indigo in a way that buying it for any sum wouldn't do.

Fast fashion has warped people's minds into thinking that clothes can be fast and cheap, but if you do that it is bad for the planet, the workers, and you risk losing beauty, craftsmanship and culture along the way. Fashion is a vital human form of expression, it can be so joyful and meaningful to our sense of identity. Global problems like climate change and over-consumerism need to be taken seriously, but I think it is possible to do that while finding solutions in traditional crafts or ways of living, and importantly, to still have fun when we get dressed.

Like in previous generations, At AiAii we promote re-dyeing old clothes and mending, instead of throwing away. We also make an indigo-sashiko darning kit to help people slow down, appreciate their worn out clothes and fix them with stitching. I'm sure darning culture has existed everywhere on earth, but as it got lost for a generation or two, we need to teach ourselves again. In Japan, sashiko, ‘boro’ and kintsugi can be ways of mending clothes and ceramics that add beauty to the item. These crafts are gaining in popularity around the world too as the internet brings these habits which used to be so localized, to anyone who can get online. Incidentally, both shibori and kintsugi were added to the Oxford English dictionary in 2024.

Kimonos are beautiful and impressive but impractical for everyday wear. I like when elements of traditional Japanese textiles or crafts can be incorporated into our modern lives. With natural indigo you can carry history and culture around on any garment, and it blends in easily with our 21st century lives. Humans have been dyeing with indigo for at least 6000 years and there is no reason we should stop now.

Traditional crafts also often have very practical benefits that were developed over thousands of years, and it's foolish for us to dismiss them. For example, natural plaster “shikui” and tatami mats used in Japanese homes, when made the traditional way, can absorb moisture from the high humidity summers and keep people cool. They can also decompose back to nature at the end of their useful lives.

There are many crafts that are distinctly Japanese that are a lot more accessible for people around the world to try too. No fancy equipment or years of study is necessary to try the art of origami, or to make kumihimo cords. The accessibility is really appealing to me, as people of all ages can really benefit from fiddling with bits of paper and string. It may be surprising to some that applications in STEM from knotted cords and paper folding go from cancer treatments to space travel.

Some Japanese people are unaware that around the world there are different places like in west africa and central america that have their own wonderful methods of growing and dying with indigo and their own styles of shibori. I find it heartening that humans discovered and developed these cultures independently. Indigo is different from other natural dyes in the way it bonds to the surface of fibers, meaning that concealed parts of the fabric don’t absorb dye. The spectrum of indigo from pale blue to almost black also lends itse beautifully to shibori. Japanese shibori is highly developed and incredibly intricate, there are so many techniques within stitch-resist (“nui-shibori”) as well as wood-sandwiched “itajime”, rice-paste resist drawn “tsutsugaki” and stenciled “katazome”. Japan's world of Aizome is so vast that it gives me endless inspiration.

There is a story from Tokushima during the 2nd world war; the Japanese government made rules that forbade growing indigo because farmland and labor was needed for growing food to eat. However, some indigo farmers kept growing indigo in secret on the mountain, as seeds need to be replanted annually, or they won't sprout. Maybe they were just thinking about their future livelihoods, but I like to think that the farmers also just knew the value of their skills and craft and didn’t want it to get lost. From abroad Japanese people are sometimes stereotyped as being obedient, but this story shows a rebellious spirit and dedication to what is right. I feel privileged that I can join this heritage and I am glad that Japanese craftspeople are continuing their techniques; I hope we can tap into their knowledge to build a more sustainable future.