Artist Series: BUAISOU
During my time at Classic Specs — an artist-inspired eyewear brand — I sourced, interviewed, and wrote stories on artists and creative professionals living in Brooklyn, NY. This one features BUAISOU, a collective of Japanese farmers and artisans who grow indigo in Tokushima and dye garments using centuries-old techniques in their Brooklyn studio.
Writing & interview by Rachel Cantrell
Photography by JP Brenner
from the piece
“Ken Yuki’s hands are deep, indigo blue. It’s one of the first things you’ll notice about the farmer-dyers at BUAISOU if you visit their small sunlit studio in Bushwick, a local neighborhood in the bustling arts community in Brooklyn, New York. A result of working directly with the indigo dye with their bare hands, the BUAISOU farmer-dyers’ blue hands are a testament to their intense commitment to the entire process of crafting the beautiful pigment from scratch – growing and fermenting indigo leaves on their 2.5-acre farm in Tokushima, Japan and dyeing their materials in their studio in Brooklyn, New York. The artisans at BUAISOU have their hands in every single part of the process.”
