Hermès | Silk marbling: a Japanese technique rediscovered

Hermès - Footsteps across the world collection: Kyoto Droplets, waves and mountains… the etchings held prisoner in blocks of stone were the inspiration for the Japanese master bookbinders’ marbled paper. Inkjet printing has transposed these effects to fabric, without ever equalling the delicacy and radiance of the patterns found by Hermès in an old album in the archives of its Lyon textile sector. After years of research, this technique of silk marbling using a compressed, through-coloured starch paste was rediscovered in Kyoto. The Nose family is its custodian. Directed by Frédéric Laffont Discover our values and our relationship with sustainable development on our website: