語り継ぐ感性。 Sensitivity Passed Across Generations

「着物」という言葉の意味を改めて考えてみる。現代では晴れ着や訪問着、または礼服のような特別な日の装いとして認識されるが、かつては日常着として庶民のあいだで親しまれていたもの。つまり着物は「普遍的な衣服＝着るもの全般」を示している。そのため実家の箪笥を開けたら、先祖代々の母や祖母の着物がたくさん出てきたという逸話を知人や友人から頻繁に聞く。一方で、反物に織り込まれた装飾の美しさに魅了され持ち帰ってみたものの、彼らの多くが現在のライフスタイルとの接点をうまく見出せず、持て余してしまっているのも事実だ。

Let’s think for a moment about what we mean by a kimono. They are nowadays regarded as attire only for special occasions, such as in formal or semi-formal contexts, or even as gala dresses. But literally “kimono” simply means “thing to wear”. They were once just clothing, worn by anyone in any condition, and including by commoners. This explains often-heard stories of people finding stacks of their ancestors’ kimonos in family dressers. They take the objects home, thrilled by their beauty and woven ornamentation. Such items are treasured but are not generally worn. They end up not being used. Kimonos hardly function in contemporary life.

WONDER FULL LIFEはこれまでに各国の伝統的な衣服や装飾にさまざまな機会で触れてきたが、自らが拠点を構える日本文化を象徴する着物とは、どのような接点が持てるだろうか。

手にした明治時代から大正時代にかけて作られた帯のコレクションを、じっくりと観察してみる。洋服に使われている生地と比較してみると、地域差は多少あるが、反物巾は平均36.5cmと短く、帯の種類や紋様によって生地の厚みが異なるため、現代服としてそのまま再生させるのはあまりにも不自然だ。それでも織物としての上質で色柄のバリエーションに富み、華やかな品格がある。

WONDER FULL LIFE has long been engaged with the traditional clothing and ornament of many countries. We observe how they are used and on what occasions. What kind of relationship can we develop with kimonos symbolizing, as they do, the culture in which we are based?

WONDER FULL LIFE has acquired a collection of Meiji and Taisho Period kimono sashes. Close observation reveals that the bolts they came from averaged 36.5cm wide, though with regional variations. This is much less than what is normally used for western style clothing. The cloth also varies in thickness according to type and pattern. It would seem problematic to make contemporary clothing out of such disunified materials. Yet, as woven objects, they are clearly high-quality, rich in colour and patterning variations. These features make up a shared and dignified elegance.

見るほどに、作り手や持ち主が季節や格式、出かけ先や相手を思い描きながら、一点ずつきちんと選び、組み合わせていた様子が脳裏に浮かぶ。これらはプロダクトやマテリアルという領域を超え、人の感性の奥にあるものを語り継いでいるのだ。

そう感じた瞬間、布地のなかに微かながらも確かに遺る声を聞き、新たなる生命を宿す道筋が見えてきた。モロッコの伝統的な履物、バブーシュとして生まれ変わらせよう。慎重に縫い目をほどき、裏糸を取り、まっさらなかたちにした帯の反物をモロッコに届ける。鮮やかな色糸や金糸で絶妙な濃淡や奥行きを表現している絹織物の帯は柄の入り方も不規則で、熟練の職人でも取り扱いに戸惑う。だからこそWONDER FULL LIFEでは、それぞれの帯に施された柄の意味や生地としての特性を一枚ずつ読解し、職人たちに丁寧に伝えてきた。この交流こそが、大切に培われた日本の伝統が続く先を明るく照らしてくれるかもしれないと想いを馳せる。

The more time we spend looking at these sashes, the more we come to realise how their creators and owners matched everything to the season, to level of formality, and to the type of encounter envisaged, to form a combination appropriate to the given moment. Kimonos and accessories pass on stories of human sensitivity, far beyond mere products or materials.

The moment we felt this aspect of kimonos, we began to hear a faint voice seeming to reside within. This suggested to us a pathway to follow, imbuing textiles with new life. Let’s help kimono sashes be reborn as a pair of babouche, or traditional Moroccan shoes! Let’s turn the sash back into a bolt, carefully unstitching, removing the threads, and then send it off to Morocco! Sashes woven with vivid gold and coloured threads evince subtle differences in shade and depth, while their patterns can be laid out irregularly. This will challenge even the most experienced babouche craftsmen. For this reason, WONDER FULL LIFE deciphered the meanings of the designs and the characteristics of the cloth, one by one, and explained them to the shoemakers. We hope such inter-cultural exchange will illuminate a way for this long-cultivated Japanese tradition to survive into the future in Moroccan traditions.

新しい生命を宿したバブーシュには、それぞれに名前がついている。布地に描かれている情景と使う人の気持ちが重なり、次なる時を刻んでいくことを願って。

When pairs of babouche are reborn from kimono material, we give each a name. We hope that this accords them a new life, to cover a new span of creative time, made from the layers of patterned textile and from the aspirations of the wearer.

Kimono Babouche
https://bywonder.link/collections/kimono-babouche