【Year-End Greeting】Challenges of 2025 and Aspirations for 2026 | Ay Murakami

Hello, I am Aya Murakami, the representative of Ay.
Thank you very much for your continued patronage of Ay.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who offers us warm support and consideration every day, as well as to the craftspeople and factory workers who support our craftsmanship, for another wonderful year.

Craftsmanship that "wears culture," hand-in-hand with technology

2025 has been a year where new challenges began for Ay.
One of these was the development of "Isesaki Meisen-pattern textiles" in collaboration with Epson.

By utilizing the technology of the "Monna Lisa," a digital textile printer that Japan is proud to share with the world, we have started a project to restore patterns of Isesaki Meisen—the production of which had already ceased—from digital archives and revive them in a sustainable way for the modern age.

Expressions and material applications that were previously impossible are now becoming achievable through the power of digital technology.

【Monna Lisa × Ay】Reconstructing the lost silk fabric "Isesaki Meisen" through technology

The "Monna Lisa" is a next-generation sustainable textile printer developed by Epson; it is a digital textile printing system that sets itself apart from conventional analog dyeing.

• No printing plates required; minimizes ink usage

• Reduces water usage by up to 97%

• A process that is gentle on people and the environment without relying on chemical agents

• Faithfully reproduces fine patterns, gradients, and even the subtle variations of the fibers

This has made it possible to beautifully reconstruct even the vivid colors, playful designs, and delicate "kasuri" (ikat) patterns of Isesaki Meisen onto silk fabric.

To Paris Fashion Week as "Ay no NUNO"

This restored fabric, titled "Ay no NUNO," was unveiled for the first time at Paris Fashion Week 2025 held in October 2025. By tailoring it into silk dresses featuring Meisen patterns, we were able to share Japanese tradition and future creations with the world on a Parisian runway.

We received high acclaim from European attendees who have a high consciousness toward sustainability, and it was a venue where I strongly felt the potential held by the fusion of culture and technology.

We are currently developing a new product line using this "Ay no NUNO." (It is truly lovely...)
We plan to unveil them on our online store in early 2026, so please look forward to it!

With gratitude for the encounters in Gunma and Tokyo

This year, I was blessed with new encounters in Tokyo, including pop-up shops at Shinjuku Takashimaya and Tamagawa Takashimaya. Furthermore, local events and cultural exhibitions in my hometown of Gunma became opportunities to reaffirm the warm support of the local community.

Traditional crafts stay alive not just by "protecting" them, but by "using" them

We believe that "tradition only becomes culture if it is not only protected, but also utilized."
It is Ay’s mission to connect the beauty of designs and textiles inherited by the region to the future by reconstructing them with modern technology.

Final thoughts｜Continuing our challenge to "wear culture" in 2026

Throughout 2025, Ay has taken on many challenges and accumulated many lessons.
New materials, technologies, and forms of expression. And encounters with customers both in Japan and overseas.

In 2026, we will accelerate our efforts to "wear culture and connect it to the future."
We appreciate your continued support.

Ay Representative
Aya Murakami