BORO

The textiles known as Boro (Japanese “tattered rags”) comprise a humble patchwork of worn, often threadbare scraps of hemp and//or cotton, its holes and thinnest areas filled with a lint-like, bast fiber. Since the 19th century, boro have been used for futon covers as well as warm, utilitarian clothing—coats and mittens for fishermen, farmers, lumbermen, and other rural laborers, men and women alike.

These frayed scraps are hand-woven and almost always indigo-dyed. The range of patchwork patterns within a single boro may exhibit a veritable encyclopedia of indigo-dyed cotton design from old Japan. The running stitch technique (sashiko) used for painstaking repair and binding increases the strength and durability of the patchwork fabric, thereby extending its lifespan far beyond that of more refined textiles. Re-repaired and recycled, one boro could unite generations.

Originally made as daily necessities to serve common people, boro have recently been admired for their innate sensibility for beauty, whether conscious or unconscious on the part of the craftsmen. Truly recognized as art, Boro has also inspired new styles in contemporary fashion.