About Curious Corners & KOFU

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Indigo has a history that goes back 6,200 years. Many cultures found blue indigo pigments in their local plants, and developed distinctive techniques of fermenting the plants to create indigo dye vats. After the chemical indigo took over in the early 20th century, it became harder to find genuine natural indigo dyed fabric. Still, some cultures, including Japan, still carry on the traditional method of indigo dyeing to this day. 

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Curious Corner was founded in 2014 in NYC by Sayaka Toyama. We provide indigo workshops and dyeing services, and produces products and events in order to tell the rich history of indigo and other textile traditions in Japan. While appreciating today's wide availability of chemical and semi-natural indigo and denim dye, the company hopes to remind people the fabric color used to be what we received from the nature —— not from what we pick from a color chart. 

 

With its house brand, KOFU, Curious Corners collaborates with textile artisans from Japan, including a 35 year old sashiko embroidery master in Gifu, family-owned kasuri (Japanese ikat) weaving mills in Hirosima, and indigo dye houses in Saitama to create home decorative textile goods which bring stories from Japan to your living and bedrooms.