I had been producing Kokura-ori dyed with natural plants and by hand weaving but demand for machine woven fabrics had grown to the extent to that I decided to launch a new type of Kokura-ori as our predecessors of the Meiji Era have done once before us. So it was that we began producing the machine woven Kokura-ori in the year 2007 for a more general purpose use, naming the product, "SHIMA-SHIMA".
As the dye and textile artist, I (Noriko Tsukui) am in charge of selecting the threads, supervising the design, and the manufacture and sales are conducted by Kokura Creation Inc. (http://www.shima-shima.jp/, 3-1 Ohtemachi, Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi).
Making use of the 140 cm width, we are now developing interior goods such as curtains and cushions, in addition to the furoshiki, bags and accessories. Kokura-ori won the grand prize for the Fukuoka Industrial Design. It was also selected consecutively in 2008 and 2009 by "Seikatsu Kanren Sangyo Brand Ikusei Jjigyo （Poject for Promotion of Product Brands Related to Daily Living） or "sozo＿comm" sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to exhibit products at the Overseas Trade Shows in Frankfurt and Paris.
As for domestic activities, we have developed a market through the local Izutsuya Kokura, as well as in the more central Nihonbashi Mistsukoshi Department, Shinjuku Isetan Department and Ginza Itoya. In 2009, Kokura Creations, Inc. was one of the three corporations chosen by Kitakyushu City for the First "Kitakyushu Only One Corporation" selection.
For 2009 and 2010, "Kokura-ori" was selected to participate in the JAPAN BRAND project organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. We have been since receiving their support for promoting overseas activities.
Although there may be a limit in expressing the world of colors in depth, the use for mechanically woven fabrics is wide and it is possible to explore new fields and pursue new possibilities. I would like to expand the world of SHIMA-SHIMA through products created through machine weaving in addition to the hand weaving in pursuit of such new possibilities.
As the dye and textile artist, I (Noriko Tsukui) am in charge of selecting the threads, supervising the design, and the manufacture and sales are conducted by Kokura Creation Inc. (http://www.shima-shima.jp/, 3-1 Ohtemachi, Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi).
Making use of the 140 cm width, we are now developing interior goods such as curtains and cushions, in addition to the furoshiki, bags and accessories. Kokura-ori won the grand prize for the Fukuoka Industrial Design. It was also selected consecutively in 2008 and 2009 by "Seikatsu Kanren Sangyo Brand Ikusei Jjigyo （Poject for Promotion of Product Brands Related to Daily Living） or "sozo＿comm" sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to exhibit products at the Overseas Trade Shows in Frankfurt and Paris.
As for domestic activities, we have developed a market through the local Izutsuya Kokura, as well as in the more central Nihonbashi Mistsukoshi Department, Shinjuku Isetan Department and Ginza Itoya. In 2009, Kokura Creations, Inc. was one of the three corporations chosen by Kitakyushu City for the First "Kitakyushu Only One Corporation" selection.
For 2009 and 2010, "Kokura-ori" was selected to participate in the JAPAN BRAND project organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. We have been since receiving their support for promoting overseas activities.
Although there may be a limit in expressing the world of colors in depth, the use for mechanically woven fabrics is wide and it is possible to explore new fields and pursue new possibilities. I would like to expand the world of SHIMA-SHIMA through products created through machine weaving in addition to the hand weaving in pursuit of such new possibilities.
Noriko Tsuiki
