ALEXCIOUS

Beautifully balanced, 100% Natural Dyed JAPAN BLUE

AWA AI’s exquisite natural color is applauded as “JAPAN BLUE.” From the mid-Edo era to even today, Awa Tokushima (City in Tokushima prefecture) plays a role in producing the ai (Japanese indigo blue). Ai-zome (indigo dyeing) was introduced to Japan in the fifth century. The Awa feudal clan (current Tokushima Prefecture) began its production in the Edo era. Since then, it has been producing “Sukumo,” the main material of ai, to provide Ai-zome dye houses, or “Kouya,” across Japan with the Sukumo.

The current, or the tradition, flows even today. Ai is called “AWA AI” as Tokushima prefecture is considered the source of ai for it plays a main role in producing the Japanese ai. Natural leathers are dyed by “Tennen-Aku-Hakko-Datte” method, a dyeing technique using natural materials. With this technique, each piece of leather is immersed into the dye many times and it is carefully dyed by artisans. Leather texture is blended with natural dye, producing a beautiful natural color.

By dyeing high-quality genuine leathers using “Ai-zome” - a particular type of kusaki-zome (natural plant dyeing method), exquisite Japanese color/natural color was born.

Virtue of Ai-zome comes from clear color, delicate variances, and depth of color.

Ai-zome creates various expressions depending on the concentration level of dye, by which each color is named after Japanese sensibility.

“AWA AI” products are created by immersing natural leathers in the dye of ai many times, and aerating them to layer color. The more they are used, the more their texture deepens. New color is produced along with users.