8185 - "Bengara" Reverse Weave Sweatshirt - Red

Studio D’Artisan’s Bengara Reverse Weave Sweatshirt blends two pillars of Japanese craft: rare loopwheel knitting and one of Japan’s oldest natural dyes. The garment starts with SDA’s “Ishikawadai” loopwheel fabric - knit on century-old machines that produce a dense, slow-knit cotton with incredible structure and natural stretch. From there, each piece is garment-dyed by hand using Bengara, an earthy red pigment made from iron-rich soil that has been used in Japan for centuries on textiles, pottery, lacquerware, and traditional architecture.

The Bengara dyeing process is entirely manual: the pigment is kneaded into the garment rather than absorbed like a conventional dye, creating a deep rust-red tone with a matte, mineral-like finish. It’s one of the most durable dyes in the world, known for resisting fading far longer than plant-based indigos or sulfurs. The color will evolve, but slowly and beautifully, giving each sweatshirt a long life of natural character.

SDA builds this piece in a classic reverse weave construction with side panels for mobility, elongated ribbed cuffs, and a clean, slim silhouette. It’s their take on the iconic athletic sweatshirt - elevated through historic dye craft and small-batch Japanese production.

• 100% cotton
• Ishikawadai loopwheel fabric
• Garment-dyed with Bengara
• One wash
• Slim fit silhouette
• Reverse weave construction
• Elongated ribbed cuffs
• Double-needle construction
• Made in Japan

A variance of +/-.5" is within tolerance. 

Fit Notes: Tommy is wearing a size XL in this piece. Like most of their garments, this fits on the smaller side. He could wear a L for a more traditional crew neck look, but for a roomier look that XL worked great. We would recommend sizing up once in this piece.  Tommy is 5'9," 165lbs with a 40" chest.