The ancient craft of Shibori, still practiced in Arimatsu today, is a precise resist-dyeing technique. Fabric is folded, twisted, compressed, stitched and sometimes tied to create complex designs. Different techniques result in different patterns: to make the diagonal stripes called allashi shibori, for example, the cloth is wrapped and bound around a pole. After the cloth is tied, it’s taken to the dyer. Shibori used to be hand-dyed in a tedious process using wooden barrels, but in recent years, Arimatsu’s dyers have started to use electrically-heated dyeing machines, which has dramatically speeded up the process. Today you can find shibori on catwalks from Paris to New York, but its spiritual home is and always will be the lovely town of Arimatsu, Japan. Read Less