niime 百科

Encyclopedia of niime

We have just started our new series, which is about each team belongs to “tamaki niime’s Shop & Lab”. I will go to each team section for a direct cover-interview with each staff member. First, I had three “Dye team” members make an appearance: Ms Noriko Iwamoto, Mr Arifumi Watabe and Ms Takako Matsumoto. Please enjoy their honest talk about the “Dye” production factory!

Firstly, I would like to ask each of you. Ms Matsumoto, you have transferred to this section from the “Weaving team” a month ago, right? How do you feel about working on “dyes”?

Matsumoto

It is fun. I was at the “Weaving section”, where my job was choosing threads for “arranging threads” or making ideas for the colour scheme every day. And now I can dye while I have an image of weaving. They are so connected to each other.

——When did you start working here at “tamaki niime”?

Matsumoto

Since April of last year.

——Because you wanted to make things? Is that why?

Matsumoto

You are right. I majored in weaving in college and also learned to dye. So I had basic knowledge of dyeing. Even after graduating from college, I had dyeing and weaving as my hobbies. At first, I came here because I wanted to learn more about weaving.

——You have been dyeing and weaving constantly. It’s the perfect job for you!

Matsumoto

Yes! It’s perfect for me!

——Ms Iwamoto, I heard you are very experienced.

Iwamoto

Experienced? I have only worked here for 3 years.

——I read your interview article on the Harima information website “Himeji-mitaini (Looks like Himeji)” last year. I was impressed that you have your own policies.

Watabe

Her policies are amazing. We depend on her a lot.

——Do you feel you are pressured to assist others?

Iwamoto

I have to push them from their back.

——Standing behind their back?

Iwamoto

That’s probably the best way to make it circulate through our Dye Team.

——Each of you is assigned to a particular role?

Iwamoto

We would like to work on the same things together, though. Since Takako (Ms Matsumoto) has just joined, she dyes cotton threads based on the experiences of wool dyeing. Also, we have recently started the Indigo dyeing.

——Looking at your fingers, you are all stained with indigo dye. Ms Iwamoto, all you wanted to do was dying from the beginning?

Iwamoto

The day I started working here, I was assigned to dyeing. Just like Takako (Ms Matsumoto), dyeing was one of my hobbies, not a job. In my case, I haven’t weaved on the machines, but I was making threads via hand spinning. And in the process of hand spinning, I was also dyeing wool materials, which made myself realize that I can dye pretty well, so I took that as my job. I like threads and love dyeing.

——So, you have been working on dyeing by yourself before your work here, how do you like being in charge of this section at “tamaki niime”? Do you feel this is the place you could work freely?

Iwamoto

When I first started working here, I felt that freedom would come with restrictive chains.

——”Freedom has restrictive chains”…..What a profound thought! (laugh)

Iwamoto

(laugh) Other sections’ jobs don’t have much freedom as much as here, however they just need to do assigned tasks.

——You don’t have to think about extra things in routine duties.

Iwamoto

You are right. That’s the character of routine. But the jobs being “No substitute” or the “only one” would have much freedom, but in such amusement of liberty, there is much…….

——Difficulty?

Watabe

Your mind is restricted by the pressure that you have to create items of the only one.

Iwamoto

We can’t deny that.

Watabe

For example, if you like this colour, however, you are not allowed to dye with it for a week.

Iwamoto

“Exactly.”

——I see.

Watabe

There is a good aspect of having pressure where you have to create the “only one”, that is it would help to improve creation to be more interesting. You shouldn’t feel burdened in that you can’t dye with the same colour. There should have to be a positive aspect of pressure.

Iwamoto

It must be a good pressure because your mind shouldn’t be restricted.

Watabe

Iwa-chan (nickname), you are making so much effort for inputting yourself for the “only one” creation, aren’t you? You drive to observe to get something here and there or read a lot of books. Because you have an obsession (laugh) that you have to get creative resources; otherwise, you can’t get the next concept.

——Mr Watabe, how did you come to work here?

Watabe

Originally, I had no relation to the dyeing industry. In my previous company, I was mainly engaged in international business. About three years ago, I moved to Osaka for business, where there was a dressmaking school near my house. In their large field, they planted cotton and indigo, which they processed by hand spinning and dyeing. I got to know their workers, and they asked me to water the plants every morning because I lived very close to the field. At that time, I didn’t know much about dyeing.

——Was horticulture your aim at that time?

Watabe

Yeah, maybe. (laugh). I was more interested in Indigo dyeing or hand weaving than making clothes. And then I saw a help-wanted ad, I expected to be assigned to the international business department because of my previous job, but luckily they asked me if I was interested in “dyeing”, I was ecstatic to be assigned to here.

——I see. That was coincidental or inevitable.

Watabe

When I came here for my interview, I saw their fashion, which was totally different from mine. I didn’t quite get it, but I thought it would be interesting. When I told the people of the dressmaking school that I may work at “tamaki niime”, they encouraged me to get this job because their products are pretty cool. That made me decide to come here. (laugh).

Iwamoto

You may have come here by drifting along with the flow of your life. (laugh)

Matsumoto

(laugh)

——You were not that excited to come here, right? (laugh) You didn’t know much about here.

Watabe

I believed in the opinions of my favourite interesting people.

——Ummmm(laugh)

Watabe

Now I look back, I was superficial in my gasp of things. I have learned the values of differences while I have been working. When six months passed after I started working, I found fun in “tamaki niime”’s items and its creations.

——I feel you were attracted to this place, guided by your inspirations without having clear motivations.

Watabe

I would flow towards fun currents. (laugh)

——Do three of you often get together to chat?

Iwamoto

Recently we went out to drink. Since Takako came to work with us, we went out to welcome her. Somehow we stayed out around 1 AM.

Watabe

It started at about 7 in the evening.

Iwamoto

And stayed at the restaurant until around 10:30.

Watabe

Two and a half hours at the restaurant and two and a half hours at my house.

——We had an after-party at my house. Our conversation really took off.

Watabe

We talked a lot, didn’t we?

Matsumoto

Yeah.

Watabe

Takako talked about a year’s worth.

Matsumoto

She usually doesn’t talk a lot.

Iwamoto

It was good for us to have a chance to talk. Outside of work, we also talked about our work, we got to know each other.

Watabe

We usually work with machines running, so it is difficult to get together to take time for an hour meeting.

Iwamoto

We are also assigned to dye a certain amount of threads a day.

——You have a daily quota amount you have to complete, right?

Iwamoto

We are allowed to set our goal for that.

——Do you have dye orders from other departments? Or you just let them use the dyed threads as you like?

Watabe

All the preferred colouring is done by us.

——Do you dye whatever you like?

Matsumoto

We have primary colours such as basic blacks, etc…

Watabe

There are specific ratios of how much black or blue of primary colours to be dyed. Basically, products have to be favoured and sold for customers, which idea we always have to keep it on our mind.

——Such senses and judgements are dependent on the three of you?

Iwamoto

We sometimes stand at the department stores’ events, where we could study our customers’ reactions.

——So you learn the customers’ preferences and do your dye job to reflect to their needs. You, the “Dye team” were on YouTube “tamaki niime’s daily life” yesterday, and there was a phrase you three mentioned all together.

Matsumoto

I can’t remember.

Iwamoto and Watabe

(laugh)

——(laugh) I wish you could say it one more time.

Watabe

Ah! That is “we don’t dye the same colour!”, isn’t it?

——“You don’t dye the same colour?”, right?

Matsumoto

Even with the same black colour, we dye like reddish blacks or bluish blacks, or adding some yellows.

——For deciding your discretion, do you depend on your senses at that time?

Watabe

It could depend on your own favours.

Iwamoto

As colours, I prefer primary colours.

Watabe

I like darker, deeper colours.

Iwamoto

If only the same person dyes it, even though he may try to get different colours, there could be a tendency to use the same type of colours. It is nice to work with three of us because we can produce various colours by rotating dyeing.

——I see. You have been keeping all ratio data, correct? That’s you could know if you made specific colours in the past.

Iwamoto

When the season changes, we may make the same specific colours. We also keep in mind to be able to supply the same additional colours in case the products get popular and demand increases. There is a timing to when we have to consider starting dyeing so as to have enough time to hand our dye products to the “weaving team”.

——I understand.

Iwamoto

So we try to proceed it in advance, but there is a problem if all dyeing finishes before “weaving team” gets starting. For the time being, while considering sales or popularity, the “dye team” makes our dye products, but keeps some extra surplus to be able to respond for the emergency orders. In contrast, the “weaving team” still makes products.

——You leave some surplus for responding to emergency orders, which must be difficult for you to adjust working time and hours.

Watabe

We can’t help but hurry. In the worst case, we have worked at night.

——You can’t change physical dyeing times on how long dyeing takes. In the “tamaki niime”’s creation principle, “We make it because there aren’t”.

Watabe

Yes.

——Mr Watabe mentioned on Youtube that you make wool threads because there aren’t any on the market.

Watabe

There are only 20 or 30 colours of wool threads in the market.

Iwamoto

There aren’t many colours for wool threads on the market.

——I wonder if that is because of a lack of demand? Or they are hard to dye?

Iwamoto

I’m not sure. On the general world market, they make the products with the existing colours. Even the thread companies don’t make with the “only one” thread. That’s why there could be a limitation in making our products if we make with less variation thread colours.

——I see.

Iwamoto

What we can make all by ourselves means there are no limits.

——That explains it.

Iwamoto

When those threads became outfits, we have to consider if they are still nice and soft. With such consideration for the wool textures, we send special wool thread orders to the department.

Watabe

For the shawl wool thread, we undo the twist of the threads we bought. Because if we use the commercial threads without treatment, they make the textures hard, because of having thread’s twists, even though original textures of wool are soft.

——Wow, you change ordered materials to make it a better creation?


continued-


I feel “tamaki niime”‘s creative DNA exists in the Dye team, having three different colour blends by three personalities getting done with their teamwork. The soft conversation of their honest voices for creation is laid-back, but sharp to the point with what they want. We will continue…

Original Japanese text by Seiji Koshikawa.
English translation by Adam & Michiko Whipple.