Boro Jacket

Natural wear is considered beautiful in Japan. Wabi-sabi is the Japanese philosophy of appreciation of the imperfect. Developed out of necessity, it is manifested in various mediums such as pottery repaired with gold, which is called Kintsugi or mended, patched and re woven cotton household textiles and clothing articles which is called Boro.

Boro developed out of the lower classes need for inexpensive textiles. Using scraps of material of similar color, usually indigo dyed and often patterned cotton and layering them by sashiko stitching (running stitch) resulted in complex and many layered patchwork clothing or household items that often lasted for generations. Appreciated for their beauty, Boro textiles are also practical, providing warmth by their layering.