Key takeaways
• Blancpain has announced a collaboration with Sarasa Yoshioka, the sixth-generation head of Kyoto-based botanical dyeing atelier Senshiyoshioka.
• Founded in 1735, Blancpain is the world’s oldest watch maison and merges traditional mechanical watchmaking with continuous innovation.
• The partnership highlights a shared dedication to preserving ancestral craftsmanship through contemporary interpretation and sustainable, handmade techniques.
In a small atelier in Kyoto, Sarasa Yoshioka grinds flowers, steams bark and coaxes color from the living world around her, just as her ancestors did two centuries ago. No synthetic dyes. Only plants, seasons and an obsession with the kind of beauty that cannot be manufactured.
She is the sixth generation of Senshiyoshioka, one of Japan’s last remaining ateliers practicing the ancient art of botanical dyeing. She is also Blancpain’s newest creative partner.
Founded in 1735, Blancpain is the world’s oldest watch maison in existence. Guided by its motto “Innovation is Our Tradition”, the brand has continuously created exceptional timepieces by combining the mechanical watchmaking expertise handed down through generations with the creativity of the watchmakers devoted to their craft within its Manufacture.
This partnership is a natural meeting of two houses shaped by the same conviction: that the most enduring things are made slowly, by hand, with deep respect for what came before. By bringing a contemporary interpretation to ancestral techniques, Sarasa Yoshioka not only enriches the creations themselves, but she also ensures that the beauty of craftsmanship is carried forward for future generations. This dialogue between heritage and modernity lies at the heart of the collaboration.
Sarasa Yoshioka / Senshiyoshioka
Sarasa Yoshioka is a textile craftswoman and the sixth-generation head of Senshiyoshioka, a Kyoto-based dyeing house with a history spanning more than 200 years. Born in Kyoto in 1977, she began her career in the apparel industry before studying dyeing and weaving techniques at the Nomura Silk Museum in Seiyo, Ehime Prefecture. In 2008, she returned to Senshiyoshioka to train under her father, Sachio Yoshioka, the fifth-generation head of the house. Following his sudden passing in 2019, she succeeded him as the sixth generation.
In addition to her work as a textile artist, Sarasa Yoshioka contributes a series titled “The Colors of Japan” to Koyomi Seikatsu, a lifestyle platform celebrating the beauty of Japan’s seasons.
