All About Seya.

ALL ABOUT SEYA.

By Charles Fout

Seya is the newest brand in Canoe Club’s lineup, and takes inspiration from travels to create one of a kind products that reflect the beauty found in various cultures and environments across the globe. With an emphasis on heritage and craft, Seya is able to embody the essence of each seasonal locale with the observational nicety of an insightful author. By utilizing specialty fabrics, materials, and processes that predate modern fashion, Seya is able to redefine what it means for a garment or object to be timeless- rather, Seya’s creations transcend time because they are created outside of the confines of today’s fashion business structure. With a documentary approach, Seya is able to highlight forgotten and unsung artisans across the globe. Through an artistic lens, Seya’s collections remind us of the charm we can witness if we’re only willing to slow down and patiently take in new surroundings.

Before Keiko Seya started the brand in 2017, she had her first run-in with fashion in her adolescence. Her mother would take her to a fabric supplier so she could have her own garments made to her taste where she was able to see firsthand how a material can provide a finished garment with specific characteristics. She became fascinated by fashion photographs and magazines where she found inspiration, having her mom recreate specific looks to replicate the feel she sensed through the glossy images. Keiko Seya naturally took up styling work, developing a foundation for storytelling through clothes. Eventually her curiosity took her on the road. While traveling, she discovered inspiration through the excitement that came with understanding new cultures. For nearly a decade, Keiko Seya has dedicated herself to a mission where luxury is reimagined by creating garments that embody the spirit of her destinations. 

The 18th Seya collection brings us to Nong Khiaw, Laos- a nature lover’s paradise with a blue, glass-like river dividing the small town, and spacious caves that dig into the vast, towering mountain range. Growing nostalgic for the ephemeral hues of the sunset she witnessed during her first visit in 2016, Keiko Seya knew she needed to return.

One key takeaway from this pilgrimage is the importance of harmony between people and the earth. The clothes from the collection add an additional layer of harmony creating a visual balance that verges on perfection in the campaign. The beiges reflect the river bank, the shades of grey mimic the mountains’ shadows, and the blues and pinks are reminiscent of the water and sky. The airy linen blends and tightly twisted cottons create moisture wicking and breezy clothes, perfect for humid environments.  

Seya’s devotion to natural beauty permeates every step of the creative process and the dyes and custom fabrics accentuate this. The Seya Eternal Shirts are a staple in the Seya lineup and come in a few different variations. The first is the Indigo Rain, pulling its color from both standard indigo and Japanese Ai indigo. Ai indigo’s process including fermentation, oxidization, and multiple dips makes for a painstakingly slow technique. The shirt is finished by an ancient method traditionally used for kimonos called Bunjin Kasuri. Bunjin Kasuri uses a labor intensive handweaving loom, but the end result mimics the look of downpours during the Laotian monsoon season- when the waterfalls are most beautiful. Another Eternal Shirt uses a mud dye in combination with a Ryukyu mountain plum dye, a specialty of Amami Oshima island, before an indigo overdye to create a soft complex blue. The mud splash pattern creates variances in depth and hue evocative of the dynamic twilight sky. The plum mud splash variation skips the indigo so the plum dye can spring to life. The gentleness of the dusky pink calls back to the humid sunset. For this collection’s short sleeve Eternal Shirt, roses and linden leaves are carefully printed on the handwoven silk and linen fabric using natural mordants of alums, onion skins, and marigold. The effect is a fading impression and a reminder of passing time. The hand leaf print can be worn as a set with the matching Nam Ou River Trip pants in their roomy fit and leather drawstring adjustable waist. 

Another way Seya incorporates the spirit of travel in their designs is by developing fabrics at the fiber level. The Double Face Overshirt and Relax Pants carry a unique contrast between the depth of the mud indigo dye and the lightness of the airy linen-cotton blend. It’s rare to see a fabric that appears so structured wear comfortably in hot climates. The Lao Blouson in Clay also utilizes a textured but breezy linen cotton twill that Seya engineered. The chambray-like fabric and minimalist detailing make it a wonderful warm weather layering piece, offering a rare opportunity for more sophistication in the summer heat. 

Seya garments aren’t the label’s only unique offering. One-off pottery, made with Mino Province specific techniques that have been used for over thirteen-hundred years, bring about a stunning yet practical cup with the artisan’s touch still evident due to the handmade nature. The Deia Village pottery is made in collaboration with Majorcan ceramicist, Dora Good, who developed a proprietary glaze that you won’t find anywhere else. The effect of the highfire glaze finishes the pieces with a volcanic texture that can’t be replicated.

For the 18th collection, Seya incorporated the talent of local artisans just up river from Nong Khiaw in the remote weaving village of Sop Chem where less than 300 people reside. Seya worked with women who use looms in their homes to weave these stunning towels. The color is made with dyes from locally foraged botanicals and coconuts making the towels a shining example of Laotian craft.

The documentary approach Seya employs surpasses the souvenir and approaches immersion. Teaming up with long term collaborator and multidisciplinary photographer Jeff Boudreau, the essence of meaningful adventure makes its way into a beautifully made photobook detailing the personalities, nature, and day-to-day life of a previous Indian adventure. For each collection, one of Boudreau’s photographs is broadcast onto a seasonal tee shirt. The photograph chosen for this season encapsulates the variety that makes Nong Khiaw’s nature so alluring. The still river connecting to a lush forest with gentle looming fog coating the towering mountains encompass the entirety of the tee. Another way Seya invites these tranquil values home is through scent. The faint Palo Santo smell arises from the candle holder rather than wax, and can be endlessly refilled, becoming a permanent fixture in the place it inhabits. For a more intentional presence, the Cardon cactus incense pot, made from the world’s tallest cactus by licensed craftsmen in the Andes mountains, holds Seya’s premier incense blend, crafted on Awaji island of highly prized Agarwood (oud), and finished with patchouli and a custom blend of natural oils.

Seya’s 18th collection ultimately stands as a quiet meditation on presence, process, and place. By honoring the rhythms of nature and the hands that shape each piece, the brand offers more than garments or objects, it offers a way of seeing. Through thoughtful materials, time-honored techniques, and a deep respect for cultural exchange, Seya invites us to move more deliberately, to notice more closely, and to find beauty not in excess, but in intention. 

Canoe Club is proud to introduce Seya’s 18th collection as part of our ongoing commitment to craftsmanship, storytelling, and pieces that carry meaning beyond the surface.

Left Older Post Back to Editorial