The Story of Tu-Bu Fabric

What is Tu-Bu?

Tu-Bu refers to hand-made cotton cloth from the Yangtze river delta regions, including Shanghai, Wuxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang areas. This artisanal method of production ceased over 30 years ago, meaning only a limited supply of antique fabrics remains.

The environments in these riverside areas are ideal for cotton-planting, and every household has been engaged in weaving for centuries. The process of making old fabric is tough and slow, requiring patience and hard work in addition to craftsmanship.

Old fabric is not as fancy as silk or as delicate as tapestries, but is simple and elegant.  Its texture is rough to the touch, full of natural charm that invites us in like an old storybook.

Planting Cotton

Traditionally, farmers would begin planting cotton after the fourth lunar month’s rain, and harvest it in autumn. Each plant was picked, cleaned, dried, and stripped of its seed by hand, fluffed with a slingshot, then rolled into cotton slivers.

Spinning

Women were busy farming during the day, and sat in front of a traditional wooden reeling machine, weaving under an oil lamp throughout the night, spinning cotton into thread.

Dyeing

To give color to cotton thread, peasants would make dyes out of natural plants: deposited and fermented Bluegrass leaves make indigo; mulberry juice for vivid purple; madder roots for strong red; marigold for bright yellow; sappanwood and cassia flowers for different shades of yellow, red and brown…etc., this knowledge is a treasure hard won through generations of experience.

Weaving

After threads are dyed, the weaving begins.

In order to weave complex patterns and textures, the rhythm of the looms rod and treadle must be harmonious, which requires  perfect hand, eye and foot coordination, producing a variety of exceptional fabric styles.

Every roll of old fabric has to go through this process of planting, dyeing, spinning, and weaving among other intricate procedures, masterfully executed by these skilled peasant women of the Yangtze river delta.

Uses of Tu-Bu Fabric

Peasants would use the fabrics produced to make clothes, sheets, towels, handkerchiefs and other household articles. Those fabrics with very unique colors or textures would be kept as dowries and even passed down as heirlooms, such as the Chinese Blue Calico, which has been awarded the status of ‘National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China’.

Tu-Bu and the environment

Unable to survive the rise of modern industrial production, the art of handmade, artisanal fabric is disappearing. 1/4 of the global chemical pesticide usage is in cotton fields, replacing the traditional cotton-planting methods; chemical dyes have replaced pollution-free natural dyes. The ease and efficiency of these technologies has come at the cost of our environment.

Benefits of Tu Bu

The Densely-woven fabric is more durable than standard modern cloth, making it ideal for high use household articles and bags. They are 100% pure cotton, which softens upon washing and causes no skin irritations or allergies due to being chemical-free. Furthermore, the natural colours and patterns give the fabrics a classic aesthetic that works in a variety of settings and contexts.

The Rebirth

With China’s rapid modernization in the 90’s, people embraced new products, and placed the familiar aside. The surplus from the years of Tu-Bu production was stored away and largely forgotten. However over time, as the sheen of mass production dimmed, there has been renewed appreciation for timeless artisanal classics, and Tu-Bu has returned. A love of the original and authentic spirit is at the heart of what Brut Cake stands for, and so we design simple products that highlight the fabrics natural beauty.

Brut Cake and Tu-Bu

Since artisanal Tu-Bu is no longer in production, we treasure what we have by making quality products out of them. We do not mind signs of aging, nor try to fix imperfections in the material - rather we see these as part of its charm. Adopting simple yet practical designs with defined stitch lines, the products have a humble elegance, and retain their raw beauty.

Try running your fingers across the surface of these fabrics - you can feel its unique natural and distinctive texture. 

Allowing the nature of the materials we use be a  guide for our designs is a key Brut Cake philosophy.