The approach to natural indigo dyeing in Japan and West Africa are remarkably similar considering the physical distance separating the cultures. ‘Japanese culture has Shinto and West Africa animism; they are exactly the same … In West Africa you say a prayer to the indigo gods to bless a new born indigo vat, in Japan you offer sake to the indigo god to bless a new vat,’ he explains of the rituals that inform the process.

MALI: Studio One Eighty Nine collaborates with communities in Mali to create Indigo textiles. Indigo dye is a natural dye extracted from plants with a distinctive blue color. Indigo was the foundation of centuries-old textile traditions throughout West Africa. Our artisans dye fabric into different print patterns using this technique and the fabric is then transported to Ghana and used by our tailors and seamstresses to create our garments. It takes 2-3 artisans and approximately 3 weeks for us to produce indigo.