Consciously made with ancient Japanese art of stitch-resist dyeing
Slowstitch Studio is a Chiang Mai, Thailand-based textile design studio specializing in contemporary pieces using traditional Shibori stitch-resist dyeing techniques to create one-of-a-kind fabrics, accessories, and home goods.
Founded by textile designers Ann Ngamdamronk and Sergey Tishkin, the studio’s beauty stems from the appreciation of human imperfections, the sustainable production process, the artistic value of original designs, and the time-honoured craftsmanship that brings a unique character to their products.
Time-honoured techniques are methods, practices, or traditions that are respected and valued because they have been used and passed down for many years. These techniques are a tangible link to the past, playing a vital role in safeguarding cultural identity and heritage by preserving age-old practices, skills, and knowledge for future generations.
“Most of our work is rooted in shibori, the ancient Japanese art of stitch-resist dyeing. Each piece begins with lines or templates sketched across the cloth. We stitch along these guides, bind the fabric tight and dye it. Stitch-resist dyeing is a traditional resist dyeing technique, often a form of shibori, where a pattern is created by using a needle and strong thread to stitch lines or designs onto a piece of fabric. After the stitching is complete, the fabric is dyed, and the stitches prevent the dye from penetrating those areas, leaving the stitched lines and shapes undyed or with a different colour after they are removed. The removal of the stitches then reveals the unique patterns, which can range from geometric shapes to organic forms. After dyeing comes the revelation, slowly unstitching to discover what has emerged. The outcome is never entirely predictable—soft-edged motifs, subtle shifts in colour, patterns that hold their own gentle rhythm,”says Ann.
Ann says, pattern is a visual language. She says Its abstraction draws us in through something deeper than description. “In the patterns we create, we reveal how we see beauty, how we seek balance, how we make sense of the world. The irregular rhythm of hand-stitched lines, the unpredictable bloom of dye, the imperfect symmetries that emerge, all express our human need to find order within chaos. This is our response to the fast-paced world, work that values care, attentiveness and the quiet strength found in imperfection. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, shaped by the hands that made it and the process that brought it into being,” says Ann.
