Kasuri Shirt

From the Summer 1987 catalogue: “From Asia to America, almost every region on earth has a way of coloring yarn in intervals, then weaving the “space-dyed” threads together to create a shimmering, feathered effect. In Jaoan, this craft is called kasuri; in Indonesia, ikat; Guatamala, jaspe, meaning speckled or variegated. We’ve modeled our versions after ancient Japanese designs and had them dyed and woven India, where–in order to achieve a truly handcrafted look–we encouraged the weavers to align the bands of color even less uniformly than usual. The resulting light-weight cotton shirt is a modern variation on an already variegated tradition.”

Kasuri shirt (olive drab) courtesy Gary Pinkerton

“Natural” Kasuri shirt (with matching Somalia Skirt!)

About The Author

Robyn Adams
Robyn’s fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying their clothing and giving her their catalogs. She loved the clothes, and as an artist, she was drawn to the illustrations. Robyn went on to study illustration at an art college in Banana Republic’s hometown of San Francisco, CA, and she worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA and works as a graphic designer and illustrator. She has been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.