MASTERS OF BISHU
The confluence of three rivers in Bishu provides the necessary water and clean hydro-energy to wash raw wool fiber and power the textile mills that produce the finest natural fabrics for the Japanese domestic market (JDM).
Known for their extraordinary level of quality and attention to detail, these fabrics have been mostly inaccessible to the outside world.
In a first, Beringia has collaborated with specialty spinners, knitters and finishers to apply their expertise to designing Beringia’s own performance-oriented fabrics built for (y)our outdoor adventures.
To qualify as ‘regenerative,’ products and practices should not only be sustainable but contribute meaningfully to improving soil health and the environment; and, the services that go into their production must also be life-enabling, not life-destroying. Not just preserving the world, but making for a better world.
In Bishu, regeneration is not a new idea. Since ancient times, Bishu artisans have practiced a culture they call Wool Regeneration, in line with a basic Buddhist ethical philosophy of zero-waste.
MASTERS of BISHU uses Regenerative Wool from the House of Daisho - wool that has been reclaimed from end-of-use garments and fashioned into new ones.
The fact is, wool fibers don’t usually wear out. To make Regenerative Wool, thousands of individual fibers are hand selected from reclaimed garments and put into production of all-new textiles. The result is a brand new garment made of post-consumer fabric. This process is a microcosm of how our world will look in the future.
BERINGIA’s Masters of Bishu line features ‘DIOMEDE’, a proprietary fabric that seamlessly knits multiple layers of fabric into one ultra-stretchy waffle. The collection underwent 2 years of testing and design refinement in the wettest, snowiest conditions in the Japanese Alps before release.
By combining different knits into one single fabric we can move excess heat and humidity into the air (active) and trap more dry air between the layers (passive). The outer waffle is resilient to the point of feeling almost spongy, providing an unheard-of 2:1 ratio of stretchable comfort, with a bold but elegant cross-hatched waffle texture.
Made with 91% Merino, Collagen finish (Chlorine Free), machine washable, this is the softest-lightest merino shirt built for high performance and a broad comfort range.
Beringia Product: Diomede LS Crew, Diomede Hoodie for Men and Women.
One of the major bugaboos of the global wool industry has been the continued use of chemical chlorine washes to prevent shrinkage, by descaling the individual fibers so they don't clump together in future washing and drying cycles.
Our Masters of Bishu collection employs a patented technique that immerses the fibers in a natural collagen bath, softening the fibers while making them shrink-resistant (machine-washable), and eliminating the need for chlorine (dioxins), one of the most serious environmental pollutants.
Beringia Product: All Diomede and Jersey
Building on the regions fashion influence, the next generation of textile makers are bringing in modern technology. State of the art 3D knitting machines are used to make clothes without the time-consuming stage of stitching together of the various pieces. Our hat maker has managed to achieve the handmade traditional look of a chunky wool hat in a totally modern seamless construction.
Beringia Product:Kodiak Hat
See more: https://beringia.world/collections/masters-of-bishu
