Splendor of Ryukyu

RYUKYU

【 Ryukyu 琉球 was once an independent kingdom, along with China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam forming the Sinosphere. The islands owned a uniquely glorious culture thanks to the flourishing trade with the Ming dynasty, Japan and surrounding Southeast Asian nations. The kingdom was invaded, then completely demolished in 1879 when it got merged with Japan and turned into the modern-day Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. 】

BINGATA

BARO proudly presents an extraordinary collection inspired by the Ryukyuan court fashion - Bingata 【紅型】, which was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 1996, and paired with the islands’ distinct starch-resist drawing (or tube painting) technique called Tsutsugaki 【筒描】. The Bingata art marked its debut in the 14th and reached the zenith in the 18th century. It’s a sophisticated fusion where the most vibrant essence of surrounding cultures married, and exploited both imported pigments from Fuzhou (China) and native dyes. The Bingata attires were extremely personalized. Each bingata robe was unique and highly personalized. Every stencil involved in the making would be sent to the new owner once the garment was finished. Historcally, Bingata attires were only preserved for the royal family (王妃 Queen, Consorts of 2 ranks 夫人 & 妻; the royal juveniles) and aristocrat women.

CHIN-O 【金黄】

PRICE:

12.000.000 VND

As an exclusive color to the royal family, this golden yellow dye was originally extracted from fukagi tree. The opulent phoenix robe examined here once belonged a Queen Consort【王妃】 of Sho dynasty in the 18th century. It is richly decorated with auspicious motifs such as bats, money coins, etc. The mountains rising from turbulent sea at the bottom hem is a distinct scenic symbol for the ruling class.

The sneakers glow in the dark!

Mumu iru, meaning "peach pink" in Okinawan, is the color of this extraordinary royal dance costume. Embellished with a thunder of dragons chasing sacred pearls amidst rainbow clouds, the robe elegantly exemplifies the splendor of royal "bingata".

The sneakers glow in the dark!

MUMU IRU

【桃色】

PRICE:

12.000.000 VND

EIGATA 【藍型】

PRICE: 7.000.000 - 11.000.000 VND

The Ryukyuan rulers forbade commoners from tailoring with these masterpieces, except when someone reached the age of either 80 or 88, the Kings would consider rewarding them bingata with strictly limited patterns. Therefore, Eigata 【藍型】or indigo bingata, was developed as an affordable option for all. The eigata focuses on the ultramarine shades and depth of Ryukyu Ai, a native indigo, instead of the vibrancy depicted on actual noble Bingata costumes.

The sneakers are solar-sensitive! The flowers on the inner sides will change colors when exposed to the Sun or UV light.

HOW BARO MAKES IT?

BARO attempted to imitate the exact dyeing process for actual Bingata fabric and modified some steps due to incompatible materials (changing from spreading rice paste on stencils to hand-drawing). After 13 months of experiment, BARO finally succeeded in resurrecting the Bingata’s quintessence on the sneakers’ canvas. To preserve the authenticity of this heritage, each paint mixture contains at least 10% natural pigments, and for the Eigata designs, the indigo pigments account for almost 40%.