This technique can be traced back to the Japanese ‘Edo period’ which lasted between 1608 and 1868, when fine silk and cotton were only accesible for upper classes. Working classes started sewing scraps of fabric to their garments using the Sashiko stitching technique, in order to preserve these garments from falling out.
For Japanese people the boro technique was an embarrassing reminder of their poverty, but, over time, it came to exemplify the aesthetic of wabi-sabi (something that is beautiful due to being imperfect).
Japanese based brand Kapital started producing denim, but eventually merged their passion for western aesthetics and their Japanese roots to create their iconic boro garments. Kim Jones launched a collection for Louis Vuitton in 2015 where he collaborated with Kapital for the Craft of some boro pieces.
Other interesting brand that work with this boro technique are @sashikodenim , @farmerrangers , Blackmeans, FDMTL (that recently made a boro inspired collaboration with Vans), Visvim , Undercover and even Nike with their Sashiko Blazers.
Written by @victorespadas
