Sashiko: The Japanese Folk Art Fetching Designer Prices

Sashiko is a term you might be hearing more and more recently thanks to its adoption into mainstream fashion, but what is the technique, and where did it come from? When we talk about sashiko, we’re referring to one of two things; sashiko stitching or sashiko weaving. Both are similarly coveted, but have very different histories and functions, so let's break them down and figure out why they’ve become so popular in the last few years.

Sashiko Stitching
Sashiko stitching is what you’re probably most familiar with, with its textured and almost scrappy appearance making it incredibly easy to spot. Characterised by hand-stitched patterns and often contrasting thread, sashiko appeared sometime during the Edo period of Japan (1600-1860) with the goal of strengthening, decorating, and adding warmth to workwear. Primarily popular among farmers, the technique spread to coastal areas of Japan in the 1900’s, evident through the numerous examples of sashiko stitching on fisherman's clothing from the time. Because of its origins in rural areas and its use for repair, the technique is almost always hand stitched, and can be applied in a nearly endless number of patterns, making it an incredible way to give a garment a longer lifespan whilst also adding uniqueness and personality to it. An incredibly laborious but very rewarding process, sashiko stitching is often associated with ‘Boro’, which refers to the technique of combining different scraps of fabric to repair or create clothing in a quilt-like pattern. Both techniques have gained massive popularity recently, largely because of its adoption into mainstream designer collections of brands like Kapital and Proletra Re Art, with pieces fetching upwards of £5000 because of how labour intensive they are to create.

The look of sashiko stitching is divisive, with some loving the distressed and handmade nature of the technique, while others see the stray threads and patchwork look as too firmly rooted in vintage workwear. Regardless, sashiko has gained something of a cult status, both for its looks and the philosophy that surrounds it. The idea of visible repair springs from the Japanese philosophy of mottainai (essentially “waste not, want not”) which celebrates the history of garments worn by workers. Often, jackets and trousers that have been repaired with Sashiko and Boro are passed down through generations 3 or 4 times before they themselves are used as patchwork pieces for the next repairs. It’s easy to see why this has struck a chord with those in the heritage world, as an emphasis for repair goes hand in hand with the slow fashion nature of this kind of clothing.

Sashiko Weave
Strangely, the sashiko you may be less familiar with predates the stitching by around 1000 years. Sashiko weave, also known as Rice Grain or Pearl Weave, was created in 6th century Yamato Japan around the same time as Aizome — or Indigo — dyeing was first being developed. It’s no coincidence that the two techniques were developed concurrently, as the fabrics coagulant quality makes it perfect for absorbing dye. Characterised by a bobbled texture that feels almost like lizard skin, woven sashiko has the benefits of extreme strength because of its composition. Made by weaving layers of cotton thread through each other both vertically and horizontally, high quality examples of the fabric have a tensile strength around 3000 newtons, which is the same force it would take to hammer a nail into wood completely. For this reason, the fabric shares workwear roots with sashiko stitching, being used on historic Japanese fireman’s uniforms, which were intricately patterned with traditional art. Antique examples of these are sought after, with the rarest pieces selling to collectors for thousands of pounds.

Like its stitched counterpart, woven sashiko is incredibly difficult to produce, and today only one artisan is still producing it by hand in Japan, with the rest of the fabric on the market being woven on specialised looms. The rarity of the fabric has largely separated it from high street fashion, and it’s now mainly used to produce uniforms for martial arts like judo and karate thanks to its deodorant quality. Its scarcity hasn’t stopped designers from incorporating the fabric into their clothing though, with independent brands like Prospective Flow and Dehen both embracing the textured quality to create unique versions of classic items. In Dehen’s case, woven sashiko has been utilised to re-contextualise one of the brand's classic over shirts, making for a piece of Americana with a Japanese twist.

Sashiko's Name
So, if these fabrics are so different, then why do they both share a name? As you may have noticed looking at the pictures, both the stitching and the weave are recognisable for their texture, and things start to make more sense when you realise that sashiko literally means ‘small dots’ or ‘little stabs’.