The Story
This is one of the most charming labels in the archive, and at chest height on a tee it brings real warmth. Two children sit facing one another, each in a red kimono patterned with white polka dots, one holding a violin and bow, the other beside a large blooming peony in deep red and green. The ground behind them is a soft patterned blue, finely worked in a diaper lattice, and the whole scene has the tender, slightly formal sweetness of an old greeting card. A panel at the base reads "M.E. Sayers & Co., Cheribon & Batavia," naming the trading house and its two ports on the island of Java.
Cheribon, now Cirebon, and Batavia, now Jakarta, were major trading centers in the Dutch East Indies, and the label was produced by a Japanese manufacturer for export to that market. The imagery is a fascinating cultural blend: the children and the peony draw on East Asian decorative tradition, while the European violin and the Dutch colonial trade names speak to the complicated web of commerce that moved these little boxes across the world. Labels like this one, aimed at the Indonesian archipelago through Dutch trading houses, are among the most culturally layered in the entire export catalogue.
On the tee the label reads as a bright, tender panel at chest height, the red kimonos, blue ground and red peony holding their detail against the cotton.
Who Is It For
This tee is for someone who wants a tender, characterful image with a genuinely intricate history behind it. They are drawn to the two children, to the violin and the peony, to the soft patterned blue, and to the layered story of a Japanese-made label traded into the Dutch East Indies. It reads as a charming panel from across a room and rewards anyone who comes close enough to take in the detail. It pairs as easily with jeans as with something sharper.
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 label was produced by a Japanese manufacturer for export to the Dutch East Indies through trading houses at Cheribon and Batavia on Java. Its blend of East Asian children and peony imagery with a European violin and Dutch colonial trade names makes it one of the most culturally layered labels in the archive.
Product Details
Material: 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton. Weight: 4.2 oz per square yard, lightweight and breathable. Fit: Unisex retail fit, crew neckline, ribbed knit collar. Construction: Tapered shoulders, dual side seams for shape retention. Label: Tear-away, minimal skin irritation. Ethics: Fair Labor Association, Platinum WRAP certified, no sweatshop. Sleeve prints and neck labels use DTF printing where applicable.
Size Guide
|
S |
M |
L |
XL |
2XL |
3XL |
| Width |
18.00 |
20.00 |
22.00 |
24.00 |
26.00 |
28.00 |
| Length |
28.00 |
29.00 |
30.00 |
31.00 |
32.00 |
33.00 |
| Sleeve |
8.90 |
9.20 |
9.50 |
9.70 |
10.00 |
10.40 |
All measurements in inches. Size tolerance: plus or minus 1.50 inches across all measurements.
Fabric blends vary by color. Ash and Heather Prism: 99% cotton and 1% polyester. Heather and Solid Blend: 52% cotton and 48% polyester. Athletic Heather and Black Heather: 90% cotton and 10% polyester.
