The World Shibori Network (WSN) was founded in 1992 in Nagoya, Japan, as a grass roots organization dedicated to the preservation of Japanese shibori and similar traditional techniques across the globe. << To read more about WSN’s inception, read “Shibori as art” >>

Tradition and Innovation

WSN celebrates tradition while fostering innovation. Our main objective is to unite members from the textile community – practitioners, scholars and businesspeople – for a productive exchange of information and inspiration. We hope to preserve traditional practices while also promoting new creative developments and contemporary adaptations.

Cross-Cultural Exchange

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, ISS'09_Chile

Our main signature event, the International Shibori Symposium (ISS), is held every few years and is a celebration of shibori’s dynamic connections across the world – a timeless bridge of cultures, languages and nature.

Since the first one in 1992, the ISS has been hosted eight times in various countries throughout the world: Nagoya, Japan; India; Chile; UK; Australia; Tokyo, Japan; France; and most recently Hong Kong in 2011. From the beginning, these symposia have all been organized solely through international volunteer efforts.

Learn more about our upcoming events or those we support & promote in Events.