Upcycling: The Art of Sustainable Fashion in Japan

The dictionary defines upcycling as the reuse of discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.

One thing that I absolutely love about Japan is how they reuse and upcycle items. It is prevalent everywhere you go.  Nothing is wasted, including their fashion making it an art in the way of sustainable fashion. 

The San Francisco Gate states that, "The upcycling definition is not without controversy. Is a side table made of an old phone book and stacked soda bottles more or less valuable than its original parts, recycled? That probably depends on the artist. But what is clear is that the awareness of upcycling is on the rise, and so is the quality of goods available, as artists and designers turn their imaginations loose on the millions of tons of waste we create each year."

So what makes upcycling valuable? The value is found in its definition.  Wikipdedia defines it as this, "upcycling is known as creative reuse. It (upcycling) is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value." Also known as creating a form of sustainable fashion. A small form, yes, but it is a move in the right direction.

Upcycling: The Search of Sustainable Fashion in Japan

After days of searching Tokyo for 'made in Japan' fashion, I was a little discouraged to say the least. To get out of the city, my mom and I decided to take a day trip to Kamakura, Japan. It is about an hour by train outside Tokyo.

After a refreshing green tea ice cream at the awe inspiring Great Buddha, we started to make our way back to the train station. We took a different path than we took to get there, and as a result we walked along a wonderful little street filled with eye catching window displays.

As we were meandering around the streets of Kamakura, we happened upon a shop. If you blinked you could have missed it. What first caught my eye was the subtle sparkle of a cream colored clutch. I grabbed it knowing it was a find. I went inside and low and behold I had found my mecca of handmade Japanese fashion!

Upcycling: Creating Wearable Art

Remember what I said about upcycling fashion? Well this is a great example of just that! This woman from Kamakura, Japan designs these beautiful clutches that are made from vintage obi belts. Obi belts are long pieces of stiff material that are wrapped around the Kimono to keep it in place. They are often tied with elaborate bows creating an unexpected piece of wearable art on a traditional Japanese woman's dress. 

So what happens when you have too many obi belts to count or you want to get rid of the ones you have to make room for the new? Well this woman has come up with a creative way of upcycling those obi belts and making them into unique, one of kind clutches. Due to the fact that the obi belt material is very stiff, they make for an absolute perfect clutch.

One of the ones I found in her shop is hand painted. You can see the design laid out as it wraps around to the inside and outside of the clutch.

I only have one left and I am not sure when I will be able to get more- it is most likely that there will have to be another trip in the future. So be sure to grab yours while there is still time!

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To shop the collection of beautiful fashion from Japan, click here!

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To learn more about the culture and people behind the looks of Mariposa Skies' fashion, checkout another artisan:

• Jeanne Parrenne of Sesame&Orion based in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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To connect to someone else's culture through the traditions of their fashion, you can also check out these fashions from Bali and Morocco:

• Balinese Fashion
• Fashion from Morocco

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I hope you found this post on upcycling: the art of sustainable fashion in Japan informative and useful. Please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

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