This kimono is the product of a fascinating project to revive the manufacture of meisen, is a type of durable, affordable, brightly coloured and boldly patterned silk which reached a peak of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. It was dyed and woven in Isesaki, a town in Gunma prefecture to the northwest of Tokyo where meisen fabric was formerly produced. The design, inspired by those of the 1930s, is by Sudo Reiko (b.1953), artistic director of the Nuno Corporation and one of Japan’s most highly regarded textile designers. Using this design, two sets of stencils were cut. The first set was used for dyeing the warp threads, which were laid out on long boards. Coloured paste was then applied through the stencil using a spatula. The stencil was lifted and carefully re-positioned on the next section and the process repeated. A separate stencil was used for each colour. The weft threads were spun around a board and dyed in the same way using the second set of stencils. The threads were then unwound from the board and woven into the warp. The kimono was then made from the resulting fabric.

The project was the initiative of the Isesaki Contemporary Double Ikat Meisen Project working with Sudo Reiko.. At a time when vintage meisen is very fashionable, the group hope that their newly created fabrics, which can be used for kimono and European-style clothing and accessories of various kinds, will prove popular, and that they will be able to pass on the techniques to a new generation of artisans. The Isesaki Contemporary Double Ikat Meisen Project kindly gifted to the V&A the whole creative process: design, swatch colours, stencils, undyed warp threads on the reel, dyed warp threads on the reel, dyed weft threads on the board, the threads taken from the boards to use in weaving, and the finished garment (FE.165-2019 to FE.173-2015)