Sukumo-dyed, Bees-waxed 3 Way Coat

Printed with found plants

Combining the anti-microbial, anti-odor, and potential anti-cancer properties of Japanese indigo dye (Behary & Volle 2025; Shankar et al. 2020)
with the weatherproofing properties of beeswax (Szulc et al. 2020), a garment that technically never has to be washed and *one that will live longer than me.

*this claim has not been scientifically tested…yet

Cotton Twill, Cotton Plain weave, and Cotton Canvas

Silk and cotton thread

Coconut buttons

Cowhide

Water based ink

Sukumo Dye

Beeswax

Patterned, cut, sewn, dyed, and waxed by Kazu Okamoto

References:

Shankar G, M., Alex, V. V., Nisthul A, A., Bava, S. V., Sundaram, S., Retnakumari, A. P., Chittalakkottu, S., & Anto, R. J. (2020). Pre-clinical evidences for the efficacy of tryptanthrin as a potent suppressor of skin cancer. Cell proliferation, 53(1), e12710. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.12710

Behary, N., & Volle, N. (2025). Durable Textile Dyeing/Printing Using Natural Indigo Dyes and Leaves, and Mayan-Inspired Blue Indigo Pigments. Colorants, 4(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants4010002

Szulc, J., Machnowski, W., Kowalska, S., Jachowicz, A., Ruman, T., Steglińska, A., & Gutarowska, B. (2020). Beeswax-Modified Textiles: Method of Preparation and Assessment of Antimicrobial Properties. Polymers, 12(2), 344. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12020344