Japanese Fabric Maker Nugoo Launches an Online Store in English

Nugoo, makers of authentic Japanese Tenugui fabrics, launches nugoojapan.com, their new online store in English

HOW and Grandtree have built the website and set up the marketing for nugoo Japan.

We are very pleased to be able to offer our extensive range of hand dyed hand towels and fabric wares to customers all over the world” said Hiroto Ohira, President of Graphica, the company behind the Nugoo brand. We realised that our way of selling online was not easy to understand for our foreign customers. After talking to Hands on Workshop (HOW) who stock our products, and Grandtree, and seeing how they sell Japanese goods online internationally, we realised we needed a new perspective to sell our Japanese goods outside Japan.

– Hiroto Ohira, President of Graphica, Nugoo

“Our first step is to have a website in English and not sell in Japanese Yen (JPY). Now we have a fresh clean design which is more familiar to our foreign visitors and we’re selling in US dollars. We have correct English translations to explain the meaning of our Tenugui designs, and we’ve set up English social media channels and a mailing list.”

Nugoo has five retail stores in and around Tokyo and many customers are visiting tourists.

“Many visitors to Japan buy our products from our stores. We’re very proud of our tradition of making hand dyed cloths, which showcases Japanese graphic design. We know what we make is popular to customers outside of Japan. Now we know how to reach out to them with our new website and social channels.”

THE PRODUCTS

Nugoo Japan offers three key products for the launch, with more to come.

Tenugui – hand dyed hand cloths using traditional print methods
Hand dyed Tenugui are cotton hand towels measuring 32cm x 92cm. They are printed and dyed using the Chusen method originating hundreds of years ago in the Edo period. The craftsmen designing, printing and dyeing the fabrics are continuing a long tradition in Japanese textiles. At a time when there is resurgence of interest in makers and hand crafting skills, Nugoo is very proud of continuing the tradition.

Tenugui designs often feature seasonal “narratives” from Japanese culture – festivals, animals and, street or nature scenes; or they use natural motifs to create vivid repeating patterns. The quality of the dyes and the pure cotton fabric create a wide range of deep and rich color variations.

Bento is a range of contemporary lunch box ‘wraps’ (squares measuring about 50cm) made with bold geometric colour and pattern. These are printed using standard fabric printing and weaving.

Square Cloth is a range of scarves in three sizes 55cm 75cm and 97cm featuring striking patterns or floral motifs. These are printed using standard fabric printing and weaving.

Nugoo is one of the respected makers of Tenugui fabric: a precious cloth that can be traced back as early as AD 794, when it was used as accessories for Shinto rituals. HOW stocks a range of Tenugui fabric from Kamawanu.

Nugoo uses the Chusen method of traditional design and dyeing which makes its designs so mesmerizing and rich in color. The designs and weight make them ideal for lampshade making.

For more information please visit:

nugoo – nugoojapan.com

Hands on Workshop (HOW) – www.handsonworkshop.com.au

DESIGN FACT:
Nugoo designs and manufactures Tengui cloths. The word means “wipe” in English, which applies to the original function of the cotton cloths – for wiping as a face or handtowel. Nugoo from Japan’s ancient city of Kamakura make Tenugui using the traditional hand dyeing “Chusen” method of several steps. This involves using stencils to create the design pattern, and then pouring a dye compound through the cloth – called Sosogizome.

The cloths have the same design on both sides, which is unlike a computer based fabric printing method. It also means that there will be slight variations in the printing colour dependent upon the humidity when dyeing onto the cotton cloth. But this dye also maintains a richness and depth that lasts after many washes. The rich patterns and colors achieved through this method is what makes the Nugoo cloths so beautiful. New cloth designs are released every season, and often reflects the changing Japanese seasons, flora and fauna.

All images courtesy of Hands on Workshop (HOW) & nugoo.