Boro – timeworn textiles of Japan showcases a significant collection of Japanese garments beautifully preserved using boro stitching and mending techniques.

Gathered by artist, Pip Steel, the garments on display have passed through generations of Japanese hands.

Boro pieces were once cherished, preserved or recycled at a time in history when textiles were precious commodities. Despite limited means, Japanese rural women created captivating works of art with their stitches and make-do repairs.

If you love anything to do with textiles, sustainable fashion, or stitching techniques, this is the exhibition for you.

“Seeing and holding these tattered garments used by farmers and villagers in times past, I cannot help but feel that they still exude the warmth and vigor of the bodies they once protected, and these scraps are trying to tell us their stories, provided that we only listen closely and with open hearts.’

Tatsuichi Horikiri, Japanese collector, social historian and research scholar.

Photography: Sam Millen Photography