Nishijin is a district in northern Kyoto that has been producing woven textiles for over a thousand years. The term Nishijin-ori refers to a specific tradition of complex woven fabrics, most famously used in kimono. The silk-blend fabric we use in the Vault Wave Mind Grid lingerie collection is not Nishijin-ori in the traditional decorative sense. It is a plain-weave silk-blend produced by a small mill in the Nishijin district that has been weaving for Haruka Nishimoto since 2020.
What the mill produces ¶
The mill, which we refer to simply as the Nishijin mill in our materials, produces a range of plain and twill-weave silk and silk-blend fabrics for garment manufacturers. The fabric we use is a 60% silk, 40% modal blend in a plain weave. The modal content gives the fabric a slight stretch that pure silk does not have, which is necessary for lingerie. The silk content gives it the temperature-regulating quality and the smooth hand that makes it comfortable against the skin.
Why we use it as a lining rather than an outer fabric ¶
Silk is not a practical outer fabric for swimwear: it degrades quickly in salt water and chlorine, and it does not hold its shape when wet. As a lining, however, it is ideal. The Nishijin silk-blend sits between the Eurojersey Lycra outer shell and the skin, providing comfort without compromising the structure of the piece. In the lingerie range, the silk-blend is used as both the outer fabric and the lining in the Yoru Soft-Cup Bralette, where durability demands are lower.
The relationship with the mill ¶
Haruka Nishimoto visited the Nishijin mill for the first time in March 2020, two weeks before the first pandemic lockdown. She had been corresponding with the owner, Tanaka-san, for three months. The visit was supposed to be a brief introduction. It lasted four hours. Tanaka-san showed her the looms, explained the weave structure, and let her take samples of six different fabric weights. The 60/40 silk-modal blend was the third sample she tried.
What this means for the finished piece ¶
The practical result of using the Nishijin silk-blend lining is that Vault Wave Mind Grid swimwear and lingerie is more comfortable against the skin than pieces lined with standard nylon tricot. It is also more temperature-regulating: the silk content absorbs and releases moisture in a way that synthetic linings do not. This is particularly noticeable in the Hana One-Piece, which can be worn comfortably in and out of the water without the clammy feeling that synthetic-lined swimwear produces.
The Nishijin silk-blend lining is used in all Vault Wave Mind Grid swimwear pieces and in the Yoru Soft-Cup Bralette. Details are on each product page.