A few weeks back I shared a peek into my time at Kawashima Textile School. The school was set up by Kawashima, one of the most respected textile companies in Japan. For decades Kawashima has been entrusted with creating some of the country’s most precious fabrics, including the interior of the Emperor’s train carriage. As a student of the school I was lucky to be given a peek behind the doors of the factory, including the secret room where they make drapes for some of country’s most important shrines.
This is a theatre curtain. You can get an idea of the scale from the guy working on it. I have never seen such a huge piece of material before, and it is mesmorising to watch the row of weavers at the loom, working together to create beauty, one row of stitches at a time.
Other Kawashima textile school posts here: Preparing and dyeing the thread / Preparing giant bobbins / Preparing the warp / Preparing the loom / Time for weaving! / Lessons in weaving, lessons in life / Colour magic / Silkworm encounter
