Crafted from common threads

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This was published 14 years ago

Crafted from common threads

By Jane Reddy
Drawn together ... Tatsuyoshi Kawabata and Hoshika Oshimi.

Drawn together ... Tatsuyoshi Kawabata and Hoshika Oshimi.Credit: AFP

Hoshika Oshimi and Tatsuyoshi Kawabata know the fabric of their homeland well. Behind a shopfront in the dappled winter light on Melbourne's busy Gertrude Street hang garments of silk and organic cotton, brought in bolts from Japan and hand-sewn here. They are the designs of the duo who form ESS Laboratory, an acronym for experimental surreal style (see ess-laboratory.com), and shown at the most recent Paris Fashion Week.

The collection consists of ethereal but wearable garments, albeit with an element of surprise.

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A seemingly straightforward black top makes a perfect circle when laid flat on the ground, its voluminous sleeves joining up. A white dress with an elegant scarf knotted tightly around the neck sits as a cape on the shoulders once untied. Australian alpaca and New Zealand wool also feature in their natural blacks and browns.

Oshimi says the couple's Japanese heritage is reflected in the emphasis on delicate detail and craftsmanship and the origin of fabric used.

"We focus on cut and form but it is not just how the garments are made," Oshimi says. "It starts at the beginning; how a fabric feels on your skin is important and we use naturally occurring dyes such as indigo, using clean water to colour the fabric. "And we like that since we came to this country we have been able to use local products," Kawabata adds.

Oshimi grew up near Kamakura, south of Tokyo. Once Japan's ancient political capital, it is best known in modern times for its temples and shrines. "It is a place where you can still find the little streets, bridges and teahouses," Oshimi says.

She came to Melbourne with her family as a 17-year-old in 1990 for her father's work. With them was the treasured kotatsu, a low wooden table covered with a futon and a heater underneath.

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When the family returned to Japan, along with the kotatsu, Oshimi stayed, launching her label in 2001.

Kawabata, who is also a composer, lived in Tokyo before settling in Australia and joining ESS as a design partner in 2003. Favourite items from Japan on display in the now-married couple's home include ceramic sake bottles and a sashimi knife.

Their twice-yearly trips to Tokyo to source fabric also offer the chance to eat local food, particularly the fish unique to the Sea of Japan. "When we are in Tokyo we don't have much time," Oshimi says. "Last time Tatsuyoshi took me to a traditional open-kitchen restaurant, which he had eaten at a lot. "The restaurant is the same as it was 20 years ago; immaculately clean, with the same owners, almost the same prices and the same black phone on the counter.”

While Melbourne is home for now, the couple do hanker for the signature elements of Japan.

"I miss the colours of each season and the onsen," Oshimi says. "It's a place where you can become part of nature and you are free.”

Away from the fashionable but frenetic pace of Tokyo, however, there is also space to focus on their work. "Japanese people are always looking to be different," she says. "We are always asking ourselves, what is our culture? What is our identity? And in terms of fashion we are always looking to express ourselves.

"Here, the nature and culture is so different. We are away from the busyness and we have the chance to create.”

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