Boris Joseph
Description
The raw simplicity and functional beauty of the boro artform is something that I've adored for some time. I get a lot of questions about its origins,
...
practice, and what constitutes authenticity, so hopefully this will answer some of them.
Boro is essentially the practice of using a simple running stitch (a sashiko stitch) to reinforce a textile item using spare or would-be-discarded scraps of fabric. It is a practice that grew out of necessity in medieval Japan, and has evolved, four centuries later, into a distinctively gorgeous textile artform. Like sashiko itself, boro combines practical functionality with beauty.
Boro' more or less translates as 'ragged' or 'tattered'. For Japanese peasants of the Edo period, it was utterly necessary to get the maximum wear and use out of their textiles, so no scrap of fabric was ever thrown away. At the time, Japanese peasants (particularly in the north) didn't have access to durable cotton fabric and had to make do with homespun hemp fabric, which would typically show signs of wear more quickly.
Using fabric scraps dyed with indigo or brown earthy tones, garments were continually mended and passed down over generations. Each additional scrap of fabric--with its own unique story--would come to map the family's history and heritage. The evolution of patterns and motifs in the reinforcement stitching (sashiko) added beautiful decorative touches to these garments.
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