How the archives of a 17th-century Kyoto textile maker inspired Dimorestudio’s lustrous new collection

Picture foam-flecked sea waves, springtime peach blossoms, leafy bamboo and geometric chrysanthemums: these are among the dozens of motifs that make up some 20,000 traditional obi patterns in the archives of Hosoo, a Kyoto-based company founded in 1688.

Now, these centuries-old textiles have been reimagined as part of new collaboration between Hosoo and the Milanese design firm, Dimorestudio. Called Hemispheres, the 33-piece collaboration fuses historic craftsmanship with a contemporary perspective.

Hosoo and Dimorestudio ‘reconstruct tradition’ with an obi-inspired textile collection

The collection was inspired by an extensive archive of thousands of colourless paper sketches that were produced to design obi, the elaborate sashes that cinch kimonos and other traditional Japanese garments.

With the idea of ‘reconstructing tradition,’ Dimorestudio reinterpreted these patterns in soft desaturated shades, inspired both by the historic sketches and the work of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi.

The results are on display starting today as part of Milan Design Week at the atmospheric 17th-century atelier of Osanna Visconti. Here, the textiles wrap the curved lines of armchairs, sofas and daybeds in a series of elegantly-layered rooms.

‘The archive was intentionally preserved as uncoloured sketches – preliminary drawings left unfinished to allow the essence of the patterns to be handed down over time. We’ve always believed that this deliberate “blank space” holds the potential for timeless creativity,' says Masataka Hosoo, a 12th-generation member of the Hosoo family.

In dialogue with the textiles are Visconti's intricate bronzeworks, made using the millennia-old technique of lost wax casting at a Milan foundry, including her otherworldly new Magnolia collection.

‘I deeply respect the craftsmanship and tradition of Hosoo and my work is also very inspired by nature,’ Visconti says. ‘Lost wax casting has been used for thousands of years, so we share an appreciation of historical craftsmanship.’

Inspired by the magnolia’s life cycle, from buds to blooms, her furniture harmonises smoothly with the Hemispheres collection – as reflected in a daybed with an intricate bronze flower-inspired frame that highlights the subtle gold threads in Dimorestudio's botanical fabrics.

‘Dimorestudio infused these untouched designs with their own unique interpretation and delicate sense of colour, breathing new life into motifs that had quietly rested for centuries,' Hosoo says. 'It’s a meeting point of past and present, East and West – a collection that hints at the possibilities of future tradition.’

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Hemispheres Collection and Magnolia Collection are available to shop at Atelier Osanna Visconti, Milan