HANAITO: Digital embroidery merges algorithmic design with botanical dyes

Japanese designer Hiromasa Fukaji, operating as DIGRAPH, has created HANAITO, an embroidery project that fuses custom-built digital design tools with traditional satin stitching and botanical dyes. The work's title combines the Japanese words for 'flower' (hana) and 'thread' (ito). Fukaji developed a proprietary digital tool to generate intricate floral patterns composed of overlapping lines and subtle mathematical fluctuations. These designs are executed using high-precision embroidery technology from heritage manufacturer Tajima Industries. The threads themselves are dyed using actual flower petals, creating a full cycle from petal to dye to thread to embroidered flower. The project reinterprets the historical lineage of embroidery, where flowers have been a universal motif since antiquity, by treating the satin stitch's lustrous texture as a form of 'drawing exclusive to embroidery.' The artwork was published on designboom on June 10, 2026, via the magazine's DIY submissions feature.