Everyday Items Brightened with Nature's Colors; Tokyo-Based Plant Dyeing Brand Offers Range of Products, Beginner's Kit

Yomiuri Shimbun

29-05-2025

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Hanks of yarn dyed with a traditional technique using cherry blossoms, safflower and other natural ingredients are seen with ingredients for plant dyeing.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Soft colors and textures make plant-dyed products attractive
When it comes to the subtle yet varied colors brought out through plant dyeing, simple descriptors like red, blue and green fall short. Both the pale tones and the bright hues capture people's hearts.
Plant dyeing, also known as vegetable dyeing, is the technique of dyeing yarns and fabrics using natural ingredients.
Based in Tokyo's Kuramae district, Maito Design Works offers a range of plant-dyed items for everyday use, such as socks, scarves and small bags.
'Plant dyeing is a traditional technique that requires time and effort to both make and use, which makes it fun and interesting,' said Maito Komuro, 42, a dyer and Maito Design Works representative.
The dyeing process takes place at a separate location. In addition to plants traditionally used for dyeing, such as madder plants with red roots and indigo plants that produce blue tones, he also uses ingredients like onion skins and tea leaves. Onion skins naturally produce orange, yellow and moss green, according to Komuro.
Riffing on the Japanese proverb 'ten people, ten colors,' which means that everyone is different, Komuro smilingly said that his version is 'ten plants, 100 colors.'
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Maito Komuro dyes yarns using a dye taken from hojicha tea leaves.
The natural dyes are extracted through boiling the ingredients in hot water, sometimes taking about a week to produce a satisfactory color. Komuro then soaks the materials in the same liquid, dyeing repeatedly until the desired depth of color is achieved. Even when using the same ingredients and technique, the resulting color can differ depending on the season or the production area.
'What colors are waiting to come out? I feel like dyeing is like trying to find the answer,' he said.
Let's take cherry blossoms as an example. While a natural dye can be extracted by boiling cherry tree branches and bark, the color differs depending on the season: They produce pale pink in summer and darker pink in autumn and winter. Before a cherry tree blossoms, the color becomes vivid, Komuro said.
Plant-dyed products require special care and attention, such as only using certain detergents for washing, and drying in the shade. For that reason, a sense of attachment is created with the owner.
Komuro first encountered plant dyeing in elementary school, when his father opened a plant dyeing factory in Fukuoka Prefecture. Surrounded by the region's nature, he became interested in the craft. He studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts and gained experience working under his father.
He eventually created his own brand, called 'Maito,' which is a homophone for own name but is written with different kanji that can mean being dedicated to yarn craft, to express his determination and commitment to yarns. 'The colors nature creates can heal and add brightness to our lives,' he said.
Yomiuri Shimbun photos
Left: Socks in various colors Right: A sweater in a soft color
Plant dyeing kits
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A plant dyeing kit
Maito Design Works offers a plant dyeing kit that includes fabrics and other tools along with the ingredients for dyeing for ¥9,900, with the hopes that everyone can enjoy plant dyeing.
In addition to organizing plant-dyeing events, Komuro published a book on how beginners can enjoy plant dyeing at home in May of last year. 'I hope many people have fun plant dyeing casually. There is no right answer when it comes to getting the perfect color,' he said.