Reuse, reuse, reuse

I get so attached to my clothes, it's embarrassing. 

Of course I know they'll decay: colours and prints fade, whites become see-through; fabrics become frail, trousers always open that little hole on the back seam… 

Or maybe it's the Japanese in me, born to cherish "the impermanence of things" before I even heard of wabi-sabi and boro.

My challenge now as a designer is to recreate this kind of magic - inspired by my archive of vintage garments:

from indigo-dyed kimonos I'm constantly repairing with sashiko embroidery; to kilts and military knitwear, all made when textiles were still considered extremely precious and  treasured even when they were falling apart.