On paper, a good idea from Japan Blue Jeans
Denim fabric and garment manufacturer Japan Blue Jeans has launched a new collection that combines cotton with a traditional Japanese fibre called washi.
Washi comes from fibres from the inner bark of a tree called the gampi. The traditional use of these fibres is in paper for the art of Japanese calligraphy and the association is so strong that another name for the gampi tree is the paper mulberry.
Okayama-based Japan Blue Jeans has used washi in the weft and cotton in the warp to produce the fabrics for this collection on a vintage shuttle loom.
Benefits that the brand points to include the properties of the washi yarn. It is made of from long fibre unlike twisted yarn, making it lightweight but durable.
It added that the use of washi gives the finished fabric a wide surface area and a high level of porosity, making absorbent, quick-drying and breathable.
