It was a windy winter day in Fukuoka, the kind of cold that makes memories feel sharper. I had come back from Pune for a while, still carrying the quiet tiredness that comes from being far away.
Around that time, I received a postcard from a small shop and studio in the city centre.
工藝風向 foucault
The shop often offers tourists and visitors a place to pause or shelter as they explore nearby spots such as Ohori Park and the Akasaka area.
The postcard invited me to a small talk by an entrepreneur who connects India and Japan. The simplicity of the invitation suited the intimate venue, but I soon realised that the story being shared ran far deeper than it first appeared.
The speaker was Fumie Kobayashi, the founder of CALICO LLC.
ABOUT CALICO – CALICO LLC
CALICO was established in 2012, but its story began earlier, when Ms Kobayashi was working in India for a consulting firm. It was during this time that she first encountered Indian fabrics and the people who create them. What began as curiosity gradually turned into a deep commitment. Over the years, she has sought out textile traditions and craft techniques that are quietly fading away, often without recognition even within India.
As I listened to her, I found myself drawn into a world that felt unfamiliar, yet unexpectedly close. Even after living in India for many years, I realised how much remains unseen—despite the feeling that one understands the country. Ms Kobayashi spoke not with nostalgia, but with a sense of urgency. She and her team work to keep these essential skills alive by making them relevant today, transforming them into products, stories, and experiences that can endure.
What stands out about CALICO’s work is its commitment to making artisans visible. Craftspeople are not treated as anonymous suppliers. They are invited to Japan to give talks, demonstrate their skills, and share their own stories. The process is slow and careful, and deeply human.
At one point, I felt a quiet unease. India today is filled with mass-produced goods that merely resemble handmade items. I must admit that I, too, have bought such products without much thought. Ms Kobayashi’s talk forced me to confront that carelessness—how easily appreciation turns into consumption, and how rarely we stop to ask who made something, or what that convenience may have cost tradition.
What moved me most was her persistence. Even while based in Japan, she continues to travel to places such as Kolkata, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. That steady movement across borders, climates, and cultures awakened a sense of connection I often forget or overlook in my own life. The most striking moment of her talk was her reflection on calico itself. In Japan, the word is cherished and carefully understood as sarasa (更紗). In India, ironically, there is no direct equivalent in local languages. Yet it is this Japanese appreciation—grounded in historical understanding—that is now encouraging artisans in remote Indian villages to rediscover the value of their own work. I feel Ms Kobayashi follows the exact philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi as she quoted: "inspiration follows aspiration."
While introducing traditional textiles such as khadi, jamdani, and ajrakh, she frequently noted their similarities and potential connections to textiles from Nara, Japan's old capital, where the company is now based. She also presented a beautifully produced bilingual picture book from Japan that traces the long, global history of Indian calico textiles. Seeing Indian cloth represented with such care and scholarship in Japan felt both humbling and hopeful.
更紗の時代 (The Age of Calico)
I left the shop that afternoon with more than just new knowledge. I carried with me a quiet resolve—to look more carefully at the objects around me, to question my buying habits, and to remember that connection does not happen on its own. It must be renewed, consciously and deliberately, again and again.
On that cold afternoon in Fukuoka, far from Pune, Ms Kobayashi reminded me that distance does not weaken responsibility. Sometimes, it makes it clearer.
Reference: 「布が好き」からインドの手仕事の世界へ CALICO（キヤリコ） 小林史恵さん _ 朝日新聞デジタルマガジン＆[and]
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