“Cloth and metal.
The soft touch of khadi fabric and the reassuring heft of kansa.
One absorbs the light and sound around it, the other reflects them.
Both are born from the gifts of nature and the human hand, conveying a sense of unassuming honesty.
Though different in form, they hold a single quiet presence.
Kansa
Kansa is a traditional Indian alloy made of copper and tin.
It has long been used for vessels and ritual objects, and continues to be passed down across generations, living on in everyday life.
It is formed through repeated processes of heating over fire, hammering, reheating, and hammering again.
Through layers of stages that require patience and strength, each piece takes shape in the hands of artisans.
This exhibition features kansa thalis (plates).
Khadi
Khadi is a handwoven fabric made from hand-spun yarn.
For generations, it has been woven into people’s lives, reflecting the climate, culture, and daily rhythms of each region.
Deeply tied to India’s independence movement, it has continued to evolve while being passed down through changing times.
Spinning, weaving, and weaving again.
Khadi is created one by one through a succession of processes.
The traces of the human hand in its surface are also part of its appeal.
Continuing its material-led approach, r a s a i this season again centers on its signature Mulmul cotton, layering it with a light, airy sensibility. Translucent, refreshing tones alongside quietly grounding matte shades gently accompany the Japanese summer.
Mulmul cotton is an exceptionally fine material, so delicate that its color can only be properly assessed during the dyeing process, when several layers are placed together. This season, the collection includes the “hagoromo” series, which explores a sense of clothing as if wrapped in air; the “kasane” series, which resonates with the Heian-period aesthetic of layered colour, and the reversible, machine-stitched “sashiko” series – all of which express r a s a i’s philosophy of reversibility.
The collection also incorporates traditional Indian techniques, including openwork stitching that enhances breathability and delicate rolled hand-finishing. Check-patterned khadi fabric has likewise become a seasonal staple.
This season once again, holding close the idea of connected memories, the collection envisions a summer that is both free and light.”
－ r a s a i
