Boro - the Original Recycled Textile

 

       In today's world, the words reuse, recycle and repurpose have become increasingly common and in recent times, there has been more emphasis placed on the recycling of textiles. But in Japan, in the 19th and early 20th century, the reuse of textiles was more of a humble nature, emanating out of necessity and a societal effort to avoid waste rather than dealing with environmental issues and energy saving.


 
 The mended and patched textiles of Japan were referred to as " Boro" which literally translates to "rags" or "scraps of cloth" and is used to describe clothes and household items that were repaired or patched many times over. Frugality and poverty necessitated these textiles, in particular bedding in the form of futons, to be passed down through generations of families.Hence boro was basically utilitarian in nature, although it proved to be practicality at it's finest and eventually the repeated repairs became a cultural legacy.
    


  
      These textiles, which were used daily, often featured highly skilled weaving and patching. Unique stitching techniques and the use of Sashiko ( or running stitch) was featured prominently. The items were usually created by the poor, rural population of Japan - farm workers, labourers, lumberjacks and fishermen who could not afford to buy new clothing or bedding and so added inserts and patches to repair, strengthen and extend the life of their existing domestic textiles.  

  

   
 Cotton was at a premium and not cultivated in Japan due to the cold climate and it was most expensive to import and transport. Boats would arrive in the northern ports bringing discarded cotton and remnants from the central coastal cities and these would be traded for fish, oil and seaweed. The remnants were only available in shades of blue, black, brown and grey due to the harsh sumptuary laws in effect at that time, which restricted the poorer classes to wearing these colours. The richer, more opulent colours were reserved only for the aristocracy. The newly acquired fabric remnants were treasured and taken home to patch and repair worn workwear and frayed futon covers.

  
     Japan's society eventually began to move towards industrialisation in the early 20th century and the practice of patching and repurposing slowly declined and died out. Many boro items were discarded or destroyed as they only served as a reminder of a poverty stricken past.

     In 21st century Japan, boro is still not looked upon in a favourable light and regarded with a certain amount of shame. However, it has become highly collectible in Western cultures and revered for it's patterns, free form hand stitching, varied hues of indigo dyeing and the combination of same in the patchwork. Boro continues to escalate in price at auctions and in galleries and is highly sought after by collectors.                               
 
 

The photos accompanying this blog post are of boro pieces in my private collection that were purchased from a reputable dealer in New York some years back when the prices were definitely more affordable.