Have you ever felt a sense of belonging as soon as you arrive in a different country?

This is how I feel about Japan, I find this beautiful country, it’s people and traditions fascinating, the food amazing and the world heritage sites that take my breath away and the textiles, art and Japanese aesthetic divine.

 I’ve always felt like I want to tread carefully and be mindful of my movements in Japan, savour each moment and take more notice of my surrounds, be at peace and find purpose in my actions. 

I find the Japanese people to be so polite and welcoming, greeting each other with a graceful bow that indicates respect, their attention to detail is calm and beautiful. 

The pop culture is quirky and cool and there’s an undeniable bizarre and kooky sense of humour that is totally out there, I love it!

Japanese art and design is simple, subtle and of unobtrusive beauty, I like to think it’s derived from the heavens, it’s that sublime. 

They find beauty in imperfection and draw on the elements of life that can be nature based, seasonal, spiritual and complex.   

          

My love affair for Japanese fabrics goes way back, you could say to childhood where my favourite padded jacket was a red Japanese print with little knotted buttons. 

Over the years I’ve been inspired by their timeless designs on fabric, ceramics, architecture and art. My bookshelf is brimming with Japanese books, all of which I refer to constantly. My most treasured pieces of clothing have Japanese prints, Shibori or embroidery adorning them, so you could say I’m a little obsessed.

With my latest fabric pattern, I wanted to design a cushion that would stand the test of time, to effortlessly fit into any contemporary setting and be bold and simple. 

I started off by scanning some beautiful Shibori samplers I collected from the Shibuya flea markets many years ago, then selected details of each piece to enlarge and transfer onto the screen. 

The second is the traditional Asanoha star print I’ve hand painted with Indian ink. The Asanoha translates to hemp leave, as this plant grows fast, straight and strong and symbolises good and health growth, resistance or resilience and prosperity. It was mainly used on garments for babies and toddlers. I think it’s also serendipitous that I’m printing it on a hemp and cotton blend. 

Like a lot of the traditional Wagara designs, they are striking in their visual repetitiveness, Wagara are well known to take a single design and create patterns by placing the design systematically on the fabric. 

I’d love to explore using more traditional Japanese designs in the future, but for now I’m enjoying the simplicity of these designs. I hope you enjoy!