What is merippa

Not a simple slipper, but an extra to the ordinary.
merippa is a reversible, fun and colorful home shoes with seasonal clothing materials. These home shoes are unisex, perfect as a gift and to enjoy your best moments at home.
merippa has already become a much-loved article both in Japan and abroad.

Touch and feel

Thanks to the reversible quality, you can enjoy the color and texture of the fabrics on the front and back.
The lightweight of only 100 g per pair and the soft comfort. Plus, you can easily wash it at home and wear it cleanly and comfortably at any time. Take them anywhere, they are packable and take up little space.

Meriyasu: the rise of machine-knitted fabric

メリヤス

Knitting was first introduced to Japan during the Nanban trade period (1543–1614 CE) when trade relations with Europe were established in earnest. The Japanese term for knitted fabric, meriyasu, is derived from the Portuguese word ‘meias’, meaning socks. Meriyasu specifically refers to fabric made using a plain stitch which can stretch in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Knitting Samurai

Meriyasu production first began in Nagasaki, in the south of Japan, but soon spread to ancient Edo, present-day Tokyo, where, due to the relative peace and stability of the Genroku era (1688–1704 CE), many samurai took up hand-knitting to supplement their income. The Meiji era (1868–1912 CE) brought in the abolition of the feudal clan system, leaving many low-ranking samurai out of work, and they turned to hand-knitting in even greater numbers. They worked with knitting needles and thin iron rods, using cotton and silk thread to make tabi, Japanese socks with a separate part for the big toe, undershirts, gloves for firearm handling, hilt and handguard covers for swords, and other items. Much of this production took place in the Honjo district, in eastern Tokyo, where many residences of feudal clan lords, daimyo, had been located and were now transformed into knitting factories.

Samurai knitting with iron knitting rods. Illustration from ‘History of flat knit manufacturing industry in Tokyo’, published 1993, Tokyo.

Japanese knitwear today

Today, the term meriyasu refers specifically to machine-knitted fabrics, while amimono, knitted material, and nitto, knitted fabric and knitwear, have replaced it in everyday use.
Inspired by the history of knitting in Japan, Nakahashi Meriyasu have created a series of reversible hand-finished slipper-socks called merippa, a fusion of the words meriyasu and slippers.