M.E. Sayers Cheribon & Batavia — Vintage Japanese Matchbox Label All-Over Print Racerback Dress

The Story

Two figures in red-dotted kimono robes, a large peony bloom between them, a delicate blue lattice ground — repeated across an entire dress in a hot magenta field. M.E. Sayers & Co. Cheribon & Batavia.

This is the M.E. Sayers label from the Ichinichi archive, reimagined as an all-over print. What began as a single matchbox label — commissioned by a Dutch trading house operating across Java in the Dutch East Indies, printed in Japan with the soft precision of Meiji-era commercial illustration — is now a textile. And it turns out the label was always a textile waiting to happen. The blue lattice, the pink peony, the polka-dot robes: the pattern logic was already there. We just let it breathe.

Against the hot magenta ground, the blue-and-pink label tiles repeat with the energy of a vintage print fabric from a market in Batavia — which is, in the most roundabout possible way, exactly where this label was originally headed.

Who This Is For

For the Japanese vintage lover with a bold wardrobe. For the Dutch East Indies history enthusiast who wants to wear their interest literally. For the woman who gravitates toward print dresses with a story — and this one has more story than most.

The sporty racerback silhouette keeps the dress grounded and wearable for day: easy to style with sneakers and a denim jacket, sandals at a market, or layered over a long-sleeve for the transitional season. The all-over pattern means every angle is the graphic. There is no plain side.

Styling Notes

The hot magenta ground does the heavy lifting — this dress asks nothing of you except to wear it. Minimal accessories, clean footwear, and confidence. That's the look.

About the Collection

Every design in the Ichinichi Collection is sourced from a personal archive of original Japanese matchbox labels spanning 1880 to 1940. The M.E. Sayers Cheribon & Batavia label is one of the most tender and visually refined pieces in the archive — and the one that most naturally made the leap from matchbox to all-over print.

Product Details

• Material: 100% polyester
• Weight: 6.0 oz/yd² (170 g/m²) — light and comfortable
• Fit: Sporty racerback fit — runs true to size
• Finish: Tagless — no label irritation
• Thread: White seam thread
• Print: All-over pattern print
• Assembled in the USA from globally sourced parts

SIZE GUIDE (inches)

Runs true to size.