Introducing Sashiko artist Junale from Osaka, Japan.

Born in 1983, Jun Sugimae combines tailoring skills learned from his student years with experience as a sportswear designer to bring a contemporary twist to traditional Sashiko, creating uniquely original art.

He has created numerous pieces, primarily focusing on sneakers, all distinguished by meticulous, finely detailed hand-stitching. He began honing his Sashiko skills independently in 2015 and integrated the technique into his sneaker designs by 2018.

Hand dyed by Junale in his Osaka studio, the soft cotton indigo-dyed thread retains a slight fuzz, making it ideal for Sashiko. Each piece is individually processed after the indigo fermentation, preserving subtle colour variations that create a three-dimensional effect when stitched.