January 16, 2020 Elisabeth Pek

TENCEL™ Feels So Right

SHOHEI. LOOKS GOOD. FEELS GOOD. DOES GOOD

It's time to talk about TENCEL™

If SHOHEI is about anything, then it is about creating the highest quality contemporary pieces with the most advanced materials available, which is why we work with TENCEL™.

TENCEL™ fibers are derived from sustainable wood sources and produced using only environmentally responsible processes.

How it's made

TENCEL™ starts off as a form of wood pulp sourced from sustainably run growers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. At the beginning of the process, this pulp is dissolved using an organic solvent – which is itself subsequently recycled – before being partially dried and sieved through small holes to form threads, which are then spun and woven into fabric.

The overall production cycle of TENCEL™ adheres to a closed loop process – meaning that, wherever possible, the materials used in transforming the raw wood pulp into a high-performance fabric can be recovered and reused, and that no harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde, are used at any point in the process either.

So it's good for the environment, but how wearable is it?

Well, the short answer is that it's very wearable. Not only is TENCEL™ an outstanding and highly adaptable fabric for makers to work with, but it is as much as 50% more absorbent than cotton, meaning that it is far less vulnerable to odourous bacterial growth, making it ideal for active wearers and requiring fewer washes than other comparable materials. Distinguished by its strength and durability, TENCEL™ is also highly soft to the touch and endowed with a high colour vibrancy, due to dyes being able to penetrate more easily through its smooth surface and embed more deeply into a garment's fiber structure.

The results of working with TENCEL™ are adaptable contemporary pieces embodying its durability and environmentally conscious ethos, shown here on the MAX TECH SHIRT. Find out more about TENCEL™

Text by P. Marcus Browne

SHOHEIの特徴：
LOOKS GOOD, FEELS GOOD, DOES GOOD

柿渋は日本の伝統的な染色技術で、完熟していない柿の実のタンニンの汁を発酵したものを使用する、完全に自然なプロセスです。京都で生産された柿渋は、強力な抗菌・抗酸化作用と、撥水性を兼ね備えています。

生地を天然染料で染色した後、太陽の光で生地を日焼けさせ、時間の経過とともに色合いを濃くしていきます。その結果、100%GOTS認定のコットンで作られたSHOHEI Ren Dressに見られるような、ベージュ、やわらかくリッチなオレンジ、金色のブラウン、深みのあるアンバー、そして濃厚なレッドブラウンといった、秋らしいカラーパレットが生まれました。

この色の連続体は柿渋と、日本の哲学である「わびさび」（不完全さの中に美しさを見出す芸術）を融合させたものです。

Text by Maiko Visser-san