Paper Making
和紙 is わし。
Washi is Japanese paper.
紙和 is しわ。
Wait, what?
SIWA is a brand of design-y Japanese products made out of paper.
For example, indoor scuffs, tote bags, and so forth.
Slippers made of paper?
Yup.
SIWA products are special because they apply the lightness, resilience and water resistance of paper produced for Japanese sliding doors, to a completely unexpected set of products.
SIWA was developed jointly by famed industrial designer Naoto Fukusawa and the Onao paper manufacturing company.
The material used in SIWA products is called Naoron, a type of paper originally manufactured as a building material for traditional Japanese houses and temples.
Naoron is Tyvek’s quiet, nature-loving Japanese cousin.
My favorite thing about SIWA products is their crinquelure. The paper is crinkley. These are good crinkles, and they add a wabi-sabi, imperfect, one-of-a-kind character to each item.
So what comes after paper slips and tote bags?
I don’t know, but I can imagine a whole range of products you might encounter at a minimalist home decor shop like MUJI or IKEA.
Or maybe as an ingredient-brand in a new product from someone like Allbirds or Barbour?
Or how about a design competition where the likes of Rei Kawakubo, Kenya Hara and Kazuyo Sejima battle-it-out to create something that makes your life better and doesn’t yet exist?
That would be amazing.
But if you don’t want to wait, you can order a pair of SIWA scuffs or tote bag here …
