Presented in 13 different colour combinations, these placemats are made in the Kurashiki Hampu canvas fabric.

Kurashiki in west Japan is known for its history in textile manufacture. This includes some of the world’s most valued denim jeans for example, and a canvas fabric known as hampu (sail cloth), made since 1888.

These placemats are made in this canvas, and reassuring quality and feel. The striped motifs offer a playful, slightly nautical sense.

Adjustable to season and occasion, the resilient fabric means they can also be used for outdoor dining. They will keep their shape when washed, and will age pleasantly with use.

The fabric was woven in Kurashiki on craftsperson operated machinery, while the sewing of the individual pieces took place in Osaka.

They are 30cm by 40cm.

About Kurashiki Hampu

Kurashiki Hampu is a durable canvas fabric, with deep roots in the history of Japanese textile manufacture.

On the reclaimed lands of the Kojima bay, in Kurashiki west Japan, a textile industry has ridden on winds of change. As fashions and applications have altered, its guiding navigation has been craft, and a level of quality that has always attracted new users.

As elsewhere, canvas fabric in Japan was initially used on sail boats. The Japanese word hampu, means ‘sail cloth’. As vessels increasingly travelled the trade route from Osaka to Edo (modern Tokyo), the demand for expertly woven fabric grew.

Modes of travel changed, and so did trends. The fabrics made in Kurashiki came to be used for footwear, student clothes, and latterly some of the world’s best quality denim jeans. Rather than revolution, the makers of the region have always sought to engineer improvements, and build on their core skills. The Kurashiki Hampu factory was established in 1888, and the presently used machinery was installed 60 years ago. The weave technology has an analogue quality, and is operated by craftspeople with un-automated knowledge. The result is a warm, durable, expressive and human made canvas that grants daily pleasure to its owner.

The striped range of the canvas, expresses a classic motif, and the possibilities of Kurashiki Hampu. It complements the lightweight strength of the material that is the core of its appeal.

A fabric woven into the history of modern textiles in Japan, Kurashiki Hampu lends its quality to new forms, and new styles of use.