Sato Kagaku

A specialist in indoor footwear, Sato Kagaku has spent decades manufacturing products for other brands. That experience laid the foundation for Ai Blue, a collection that brings Tokushima’s weaving and dyeing traditions into the home.

Each design considers how a slipper fits, how light it feels, and how quietly it moves across the floor. The collection offers options for everyday wear, welcoming guests, and thoughtful gifts.

Awa shijira is a cotton textile from Tokushima with a fine, puckered surface created through differences in yarn tension. Sato Kagaku uses its distinctive stripes and crisp feel in slipper uppers and footbeds.

The company sources fabrics from makers including Nagao Orifu and Rampuya. Colors, patterns, dyeing methods, and material combinations vary across the collection.

Making indoor footwear requires more than working with fabric: linings, padding, and soles must come together in a comfortable shape. A factory feature by Lacycle documents the process, from cutting components with metal dies and bonding fabric to padding to shaping uppers over foot-shaped molds and stitching curved seams.

By adapting each process to the fabric and carefully assembling the three-dimensional form, the makers preserve the character of the textile in a finished pair of slippers.

Awa Shijira Babouche Slippers

Babouche-style slippers that showcase the colors and patterns of Awa shijira. Cotton shijira fabric is used for the uppers and interior, shaped to gently enclose the foot.

Awa Shijira Tatami Slippers

Awa shijira uppers paired with footbeds made from woven washi tatami material. A shaped upper and generous opening make them easy to slip on and off.

Indigo Patterned Soft Slippers

Indigo-colored fabric with patterns created by selectively removing dye. Leaf and dot designs offer a choice of looks to complement life at home.

Images: Sato Kagaku official website. Sizes, dyeing methods, sole materials, and other specifications vary by product.

Alongside Ai Blue, Sato Kagaku makes indoor footwear in collaboration with other brands. The Japanese magazine Serai has featured exclusive Awa shijira babouche slippers made by the company.

Its experience in combining distinctive textiles with footwear construction offers a starting point for custom branded products and gifts. Please inquire about project scope, order quantities, materials, and lead times.