Indigo · Jun 2026
記録
Natural indigo in a production dye house
Fermented sukumo vats are unforgiving at scale. Here is how we hold shade tolerance within a quarter grade.
True Origin mill · Kojima, Okayama
A living vat
Sukumo is composted indigo leaf, fermented with wheat bran, lime and ash. The vat is alive: its temperature, alkalinity and bacterial balance shift daily, and so does the shade it gives. That is charming for a craft workshop and difficult for a buyer who needs the tenth roll to match the first.
Fermented sukumo vats are unforgiving at scale. Here is how we hold shade tolerance within a quarter grade.
Holding a quarter grade
We hold natural indigo programmes within a quarter grade by measuring the vat every shift, dyeing a control skein before each production run, and blending rope from multiple dips when a vat drifts. Every lot is read against an archived shade card built for that customer.
When to choose it
Natural indigo gives a warmer, redder cast and a softer fade. Synthetic indigo is more consistent and less expensive. Many of our customers use natural indigo for a capsule and synthetic for the core range — we will tell you honestly which suits the garment.
More notes
記録
From the loom shed
Craft · Aug 2026
At sixty picks a minute the weft is laid, not fired. The cloth keeps the irregular tension that later reads as high-contrast fading along the leg.
Quality · Jul 2026
What the numbers on your roll ticket actually mean, and which defects we reject outright.
Development · May 2026
Three new constructions above 18 oz, and what they ask of your sewing line.
Sampling
見本
Get the notes by post
Four times a year we send a printed sheet with a swatch stapled to it. Ask for it with your sample request.