Uzu is located in Isshiki-cho, Nishio City, Aichi. It is a shop that manufactures apparel, miscellaneous goods, accessories, etc. using fabrics dyed with vegetable dyes from high-quality cotton fabrics in the Mikawa area.

This time, we visited the store that was renovated by the owner himself, and asked about the birth story and the commitment to dyeing.

The location is about 5 minutes by car from Meitetsu Nishio Line "Kira Yoshida" station.

The shop is a workshop and gallery, and it is possible to observe the dyeing and sewing work. We also hold a dyeing experience to convey the fun of making.

The birth story of “~uzu~”

Owner Jun Aoki

The store opened in October 2016. First, we asked the owner, Mr. Aoki, to tell us the story of the birth of the shop.

Mr. Aoki: “My wife used to be a science teacher at a public junior high school. After having our first child, I started making things as a hobby during my childcare leave. It was very well received by my friends, and orders gradually began to come in. This was the first reason I started Uzu."

Started renovating a 70-year-old traditional house

Building before renovation

The two of you started it as a hobby at first. How did the store come about?

Mr. Aoki: "This was originally my grandmother's house. After my grandmother passed away, it was vacant for about 10 years. Now that we have a child, we thought it would be a waste to keep it vacant, so I decided to move to Isshiki-cho, Nishio. At first, I was planning to use it as a residence, and I was thinking of turning one room into a gallery where I would display small items. At this time, we were doing a lot of renovations by ourselves on weekends. It was days when I sold small items by hand at Marche and events.”

An album of the DIY state that was displayed in the shop

The walls were covered with blueprints of the building.

Encounter with a dyeing master

Mayumi Emoto, master of dyeing

Mr. Aoki: "The reason we started dyeing was when we met Mayumi Emoto of 'ANAM CARA', who does hand-dyeing using vegetable dyes in the same city. "This fabric is amazing!" We were shocked by the dyeing with vegetable dyes, and decided to start dyeing ourselves. Dyeing with plant dyes is a "chemical reaction", so my wife, who was originally a science teacher, was hooked.

As soon as I started dyeing, my wife quit teaching and started working as a designer. I also decided to open a business at this time, and I opened a shop with all the shops here that had been originally renovated for residential use. ”