Fendi’s latest collection features garments made using kata-yuzen, a historic Japanese dyeing technique

Fashion giants use traditional fabric dyeing technique in their Fall/Winter collection.

Italian luxury fashion brand Fendi recently released their Fall 2022 Couture Collection, with a number of garments debuting on the catwalk. The fashion house is based in Rome, Italy, but Fendi’s Artistic Director Kim Jones commented of the collection, “This season, I wanted to step away from Rome, or at least I wanted to place Rome in a global context.” 

So, Fendi’s latest collection travels from Italy’s fashion capital of Rome to Japan’s culture capital Kyoto.

Taking inspiration from classical Kyoto fashion, the dresses feature sheets of kimono fabric, which are cut and added to the garments in a patchwork style. These sections were inspired by popular kimono patterns of the 18th century, and they’re produced for the Fendi dresses using kata-yuzen, a traditional fabric dyeing technique that originated in Kyoto.

Kata-yuzen allows for intricate designs on the fabric even without the use of modern machinery. A paper stencil is placed on white cloth, and a mixture of glue (made from glutinous rice) and dye is applied on top, similar to screen printing. The cloth is then steamed to ‘print’ the dye on the kimono fabric, and the fabric then gets washed to remove the glue.

You can see the screen printing process in this video below, which has English subtitles.

Fendi worked closely with a family of kata-yuzen artists in Kyoto, who used their traditional techniques to create lengths of kimono silk which were then asymmetrically cut and sewn to form long, floor-length dress silhouettes.

Other pieces in Fendi’s collection took inspiration from Japan in different ways, like this dress with hand-painted momiji (Japanese maple leaf) patterns.

With a high fashion giant like Fendi, the beautiful garments will likely come with a hefty price tag, but there’s no denying these pieces are certainly unique and eye-catching.  If you’re looking for something a little less bank-breaking but still want that traditional Japanese vibe, though, check out these samurai robes from Japanese fashion brand Trove.

Source: Fendi via Japaaan, PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Fendi
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