An exhibition of "STYLE*MEISEN," a project launched by businesses in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, and Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, in collaboration with the Japan Design Committee and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, to revive meisen as a fabric for clothing, has begun at the Matsuya Ginza 7th floor Design Gallery 1953.

Meisen, which originated in the Meiji era, is a dyed and woven fabric made using a sophisticated technique called "hogushiori," in which the thread is printed and then woven. From the Taisho era to the early Showa era, kimonos with modern patterns were all the rage, but as demand for kimonos as everyday wear declined after the war, the production area declined, and today only a few weavers remain.

A talk show was held on the first day of the exhibition, with the participation of four people: Horihata Hiroyuki and Sekiguchi Makiko of matohu, who were appointed as designers for the project, Itsumi Kyoko of Chichibu meisen "Itsumi Orimono", and Takahashi Jinri of Ashikaga City's "Gachaman Lab", which handles Ashikaga meisen. The talk focused on the two themes of meisen and "Style * Meisen".


Takahashi "In Ashikaga, the businesses making meisen died out about 20 years ago, but recently there have been efforts to westernize clothing. Weaving machines are also changing in order to weave the width needed for clothing."

Hemmi "In Chichibu, the business has continued uninterrupted, albeit on a small scale. Weaving machines from the early Showa period still remain. Also, there are fewer than 10 companies left today, but some have started up new businesses and are starting new initiatives."

Horihata "In moving forward with this project, we decided to name the brand 'STYLE*MEISEN', which means to create a new style while retaining the sound of meisen. We chose English so that we could communicate not only to Japan but the world as well."

Sekiguchi "There are some European luxury brands that are interested in meisen, and in Italy there are some places that express the atmosphere of meisen in prints, but the only places where the meisen techniques truly remain are Chichibu and Ashikaga. There is great significance in going overseas."

Horihata "I was impressed by the story I heard when I had dinner with Takahashi about him taking meisen to France."

Takahashi "With the current situation in Japan, businesses in Ashikaga and Kiryu have begun to do business directly overseas. We traveled around the world, thinking that if we used genuine meisen techniques, rather than print techniques, we could do well overseas, and overseas fashion houses told us, 'If you have such amazing techniques, you need to perfect them and bring them back here.' As part of that, we also went to Lyon, where there was originally something similar to meisen. There, they were trying to mechanize the unraveling weaving technique, but in reality, it can be done with polyester but not with silk. As a result, we learned that highly skilled hand-weaving techniques are being imported from Uzbekistan and Pakistan."

Horihata "The fabrics made in Lyon were loved by Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour, and were all the rage in Europe. That's why I don't think of meisen as something that needs to be preserved simply because it's a traditional Japanese technique; I think it should be recognized and featured in the context of global history. The reason it's loved all over the world is because you can feel the warmth of your hand in the faded fabric. You can immediately tell the difference from a printed reproduction."

Takahashi "I was deeply moved when I saw the actual product."

Hemmi "It was very innovative and moving."

Sekiguchi "Horihata worked with Chichibu, and I worked with Ashikaga. Chichibu was good at flowers and plants, and Ashikaga was good at geometry, but I think we made some unreasonable requests."

Horihata "We strayed from typical patterns and created something original. At Matofu, it is taboo to use kimono patterns on clothing, but this time we imagined it as clothing fabric and created something completely new, something that would resonate with modern people."

Sekiguchi "It also has vibrant colors that you don't see in regular meisen."

Horihata "We've changed the design of the weft and other parts so that anyone who is familiar with regular meisen would say, 'So this is meisen?' Although it's called meisen, I think we've created something completely new. I hope you'll take your time to touch it, and although you can't try it on here, there is a mirror so you can hold it up to yourself. Also, for two weeks only, there will be a pop-up shop just behind the venue where you can order something if you want to wear it."

Takahashi "I hope that this project will continue in the future, that more businesses will become involved, and that it will help to liven up the local area."

Sekiguchi "I've always been interested in the techniques of meisen, but this project allowed me to explore and study its potential as a fabric. I'd like to develop it further and propose new meisen at Matof, and hope that this will encourage young people who are unfamiliar with meisen to rediscover it as a new material."

Horihata "Continuing Japanese tradition as is is handing it down. I believe true tradition is about creating something new, and for that reason I want to continue this project and propose new meisen."


The project has just begun. With Japanese materials gaining recognition from the world's top brands, future developments are likely to attract attention. The exhibition is running until February 21st at Design Gallery 1953 on the 7th floor of Matsuya Ginza.
【Exhibition Information】
"STYLE＊MEISEN Exhibition"
Dates: January 25th - February 21st
Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th Floor Design Gallery 1953
Address: 3-6-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 10:00 - 20:00 (until 18:30 on February 16th, until 20:30 on February 21st)