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enundo film screening + dicussion

Sun, Jun 16

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Honolulu

remnant & co will be doing a final screening of their 30 min documentary featuring akihiko izukura's journey into the world of silk and discussion panel with director kazuki fujimoto from kyoto, japan.

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enundo film screening + dicussion
enundo film screening + dicussion

Time & Location

Jun 16, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Honolulu, 307 Kamani St, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA

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About the event

Akihiko Izukura (retired) legacy is carried on by his students at Remnant & co. Izukura, a Japanese master of dyeing and weaving, works primarily in silk by transforming thread into “wind-like” fabrics. He also creates a wide range of functional and brilliant modern garments with traditional weaving and knitting techniques. He hand dyes silk with subtle colors made only from natural materials, such as madder, persimmon and chestnut, following a process that is over 2000 years old. Many of his works and outfits have been exhibited in New York, Vienna and Copenhagen. He is considered to be a national treasure on Japan. Fishcake would like to welcome back the troupe since their last visit in 2012.

“Izukura was born in 1942 to a family in the kimono industry in the traditional Nishijin textile district of Kyoto. Destiny forced him to take over the family business, Hinaya, amidst his studies as a first-year student at Doshisha University. Instead of quitting, he managed to convince a professor to give him lessons at his home, offering his own business information as a bargaining chip. His never-give-up-attitude is exemplified by how he managed to run a successful business while earning his degree in economics.

At the peak of his subsequent career, he headed eight companies, and led 300 employees. He ran the business debt-free, used no subsidies or grants, and consistently surpassed all employees in sales. As early as fifty years ago, despite vehement opposition from the traditionally-minded Nishijin community, Izukura made it company policy to cease using chemical dyes and focus solely on natural dyeing. Dyeing with synthetic chemicals ensures consistent coloring, which is easy to duplicate in the marketplace.

However, Izukura adopted the color variations inherent to natural dyeing, convincing customers of the added value of unique and uneven shading. Unlike mass-produced items, every piece he sold was one-of-a-kind. However, problems arose with wholesalers and distributors, as prices for his items would vary.

At the core of Izukura's philosophy is the idea that one should not let anything go to waste, just as the natural world leaves no waste. He painstakingly cleaned the spent cocoons of silkworms, which would otherwise have been destined for disposal, and transformed them into fantastical works of art.” - as written in article of Kyoto journal 103 by ken rogers

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