WEAVING HER PASSION - ITIKO TAKAMIZU

"Simple act make man simple and how difficult it is to be simple".
Meeting today Ms Itiko Takamizu and her family reminded me of Jung's quote. For this simple act of weaving, Itiko has spend 39 years behind her hand loom, weaving traditional Japanese Guma silk in an infinite variation of colors and patterns. The Kouchi (checked fabric) or Tateshima (stripes fabric) patterns are traditionally used to make Kimono. It takes about one & 1/2 month to weave a 13m coupon in 38 cm width and 1200 thread count. Itiko Tsumugi (silk threads) come from 3 different places in Japan (Gifu / Nagoya and Nagano) but her specialty are natural dyes. When asked about her color palette, she says she has no limitation - Nature is her treasure chest and she is ready to boil anything in her pots, from cherry blossom to Kusagi (a Japanese blue grapes) or bamboo bark. Her design always starts from her clients memory - the reminiscence of a smell, a plant or a season will guide her imagination to create a color scheme that her weaving technique will magnified into a precious cloth. Itiko's calm and ongoing perseverence translates into her timeless, unique pieces. 

Itiko Takamizu / +81 (0) 9090293787