Kirsikankukka Fabric

Around 1933 Aino and Alvar Aalto made the acquaintance of Hikotaro Ichikawa, Japanese ambassador to Finland, and his wife Kayoko. Madame Ichikawa gave Aino Aalto a gift of silk fabric with a cherry blossom – “Kirsikankukka” in Finnish - motif. Delighted and inspired, Aino created the Kirsikankukka pattern, evoking spring cherry blossoms, as an homage to Japanese textile art and design. In celebration of the friendship between Finland and Japan, Artek re-introduces a cotton textile with Kirsikankukka pattern. The fabric is printed in Kyoto, at a family owned print-house that specialised in vibrant kimono prints. The pattern is meticulously printed by hand, the silkscreens being placed manually to create a seamless, continuous pattern. This process is known as “Tenasen” and creates slight irregularities, resulting in a pattern that looks beautifully alive. The fabric is sold by the meter and lends itself as an interior textile, used as table cloth, curtain or bed throw, or to create smaller items such as napkins. Kirsikankukka is available in Japan and Finland only.