Rich, layered and warm. Are colors and arrangements purely arbitrary?
Collection of irreplicable silk pieces are pieced together to make this years fall/winter collection. Each is one-of-a-kind. Some have been quilted with pure cotton batting for extra warmth.
Some of the silk pieces used for this collection are remnants of hand dyed silk accumulated in my studio for past 5 years. I have been saving scraps, often over dyeing them multiple times until desired colors are achieved.
For each piece of garments, I arrange and rearrange the fabric pieces like a puzzle. I make up the composition as I go.
"Boro" textile hails from Japan. This term refers to patched cotton or linen textile or garments used by working class and peasants of old Japan. Hand stitched together seemingly very random way, Boro textile shows the rough and tumble kind of utilitarian beauty. And it demonstrates the notion of extreme recycling and being thrifty to the point of (literally) thread bareness.
An example of antique "Boro" jacket from Edo Period, Japan.
Personally I find it beautiful. There is something magical about the agedness of the thing. And there is all that care and the hours of labor of someone who cared enough to patch every inch of it. The labor, mostly likely was for extending the life of garment for sewer's immediate family member. It is priceless labor.
The latest collection by Xsilk was partly inspired by Boro. I try to utilize all the salvaged and remnant pieces of silk. Most of those silk pieces were hand dyed, some with natural dye stuff and others with chemical dye.
Like layered outfits of winter, I hope layered colors and patched fabric will bring lightness and warmth this upcoming winter seasons.
Xsilk autumn/winter collection will be available on xsilk.com and selected boutiques this month.
