What is Awa Indigo dye?

A dye for indigo dyeing that has been traditionally made in Tokushima Prefecture since middle ages. The dye, called sukumo, made from fermented indigo leaves of the Polygonaceae family, once supported indigo dyeing throughout Japan.

As times have changed, production has drastically decreased due to the replacement of artificial dyes and reduced consumption.

Traditional Japanese indigo dyeing

A strong alkali is required to make the dye solution using Awa Indigo dye. In traditional Japanese indigo dyeing, lye made from wood ash is used. The indigo dyeing technique called lye fermentation brings out a beautiful blue color.

Carrying on the tradition

Traditional indigo dyeing has been on the verge of extinction as an industry, with a sharp decline in dye production and a decline in successors.

Even if it remains as a culture, we who live in the present day must do something to preserve it as an industry and a traditional craft.

Consuming

「Tradition is not the Worship of Ashes, but the Preservation of Fire」Gustav Mahler

In order to preserve the traditions we have inherited for future generations, we must first consume.

More people using it will support suppliers.

And to achieve this, it is necessary not only to maintain tradition, but also to create something that has never been seen before and that is suited to the modern age.

At Jewelry Atelier Athens,we create original jewelry using Italian jewelry techniques.

And then, by combining our local traditional industry of Awa indigo dye with our jewelries, we have created a new material: Ai -indigo dyed- shell.

Ai -indigo dyed- shell was created with the desire to increase the consumption of indigo dyeing even just a little.

Ai -indigo dyed- shell is a new jewelry material dyed with traditional Japanese indigo dyeing using traditional Awa indigo dye, and same shell used for high-quality shell buttons.

for material

If you would like to use Ai -indigo dyed- shells as a material, we also sell them as materials.

In addition to selling to the general public at retail prices, we also sell at wholesale prices.

Please contact us for more information.