Hama Chirimen, the finest silk fabric from Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, embodies a craft passed over generations since the Edo period. The traditional hacho twist technique gives a beautiful unevenness to the grain of the fabric and a smooth feel with good breathability.
Silk absorbs 30 to 50% more moisture than cotton, while dissipating 30% more as well. This moisture managing feature provides coolness in summer and warmth in winter, since the fine fiber mesh has an insulating effect holding in the air, making it suitable for use year-round.
Hama Chirimen silk offers luxurious texture and durability, as well as easy home care.
This genuine washable silk is gentle to the skin as it contains the same proteins found in our hair and skin, and the fabric will even withstand washings in your household washing machine.
Reward yourself every day with a great night's sleep.
The reeds along the shores of Lake Biwa are a part of the lake’s natural beauty.
The lake’s reeds help purify its water, while providing a habitat for birds, fish and shellfish, thereby playing an active role in Lake Biwa’s environmental preservation.
Harvesting the stalks of the reeds in winter promotes more growth for the next season and helps maintain a healthy reed colony.
The cut reeds are processed into washi Japanese paper and then woven into yarn for a sustainable, quality fabric with a unique texture.
We hope that you enjoy the cushion covers made with this special fabric and its unique reed texture in your daily life, while helping to preserve our environment.
Nonosute Shoten is a former weaving workshop which operated from 1884 to 2002, producing Omi-Jofu, a premium linen textile. The beautiful patterns that they used and their culture of traditional craft are treasures that we wanted to preserve and to share with a wider audience, so we developed this line to revive a selection of their traditional patterns, printed on cotton fabric with a contemporary palette.
Nonosute Shoten operated for 120 years in the Aisho Town of Shiga. This town had flourished with Omi-Jofu linen thanks to factors like the sophisticated weaving techniques acquired from Kyoto about 700 years ago, the environment of abundant fresh water, and the activities of Omi Shonin (a renowned group of successful merchants who were based in the region).
As a member of this same community, we are proud to revive traditional culture once developed by Nonosute Shoten. With carefully selected material, each piece is skillfully crafted, one by one.
Using linen from the long-established local linen producer, Hayashiyo, we developed this line with supervision from Arthur Leitner, a former designer of Louis Vuitton. These cushion covers offer an elegant balance of Japanese and Western aesthetics.
Fabric-making, dyeing, and sewing are all done here in Japan. Before dyeing, we apply a traditional Japanese bleaching technique that cleans and sterilizes the cotton. This process involves a slow four-day bleaching of the fabric, and is entirely chemical-free to avoid any break down of the fibers. A softening process is also applied for finishing, which gives a very soft and gentle feel to the skin as soon as it is removed from the package. After repeat washings, it becomes even softer. Recommended for all seasons, it has a dry feel in hot or warm seasons by absorbing moisture, while providing heat retention in colder seasons.
Recipient of the 2018 Kids Design Award sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Its uniquely designed features allow children to attach or remove the cover with ease, to help nurture their independence. The product is also recommended for elderly people who have trouble applying finger pressure. (Feature 1: 3-sided zipper, Feature 2: A large zipper slider for easy gripping, Feature 3: Dual sliders allow opening and closing from anywhere, Feature 4: Sliders have an attached string making them easier to find as well as to pull, and Feature 5: Snap buttons allows the cover to be easily fastened to a comforter)
WESTY INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
