Paper's place in fashion history

[gius]

One might not usually expect to see garments and even shoes made of paper,
but it has been part of fashion for a very long time now

Its origins..

• Technology of paper making starts in China

picasaweb

• It makes its way to Japan, approx 610 AD
  they use the mulberry tree
  for its strength
  boiling and pounding it into paper fibre

cbc.ca | flickr

The papermaking technique is further improved
a root extract is added to the mulberry bush pulp, creating a better consistency and allowing to make thinner but stronger sheets of paper

[gius]

quote from an essay I wrote...
the citation goes to Leitner, Christina. Paper Textiles. London: A&C Black, 2005.

1stopphuket

Paper was also considered to have associations with spirituality:
the labour-intensive, time consuming, and carefulness in the production
of paper was considered meditative, and in Buddhism, paper symbolized
the “transitoriness of life and the cycles of nature” because of its fragile
and impermanent nature

----------------------------

Paper as clothing

• The first paper shirts were called "kamiko"
  Heian age of 194 - 1185 AD ; feudal society
  
  It was out of necessity that people used paper to make shirts
  Many were poor and paper was readily available
  They recycled what they had to make into clothing
  It proved quite durable (because of it being made of mulberry tree) and good for working clothes. Has insulating properties also

from kew.org

This oiled paper coat is waterproof. Several paper items in the Parkes collection, including sandal covers and a coat, were oiled by their makers in order to make them resistant to the rain. Imagine what happens to a normal piece of paper when it gets wet. That the Japanese developed a technique to make waterproof clothing out of paper is remarkable. It is said that these items even resemble leather in appearance.

• Kamiko was also great as light-weight summer clothing

[gius]

victoriapaper

made from thick "washi", paper from the mulberry bush,

• is folded, crumpled, and rubbed repeatedly until it is soft .
  produces a more textile-like hand,
  
  
• and afterwards it is treated with plant extracts, like konnyaku and persimmon sap, for waterproofing and the sheets of paper are then glued or sewn together to make clothes

-

konnyaku | konjac

a plant also known as devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, elephant yam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:W_konnyaku4051.jpg


wikimedia

[gius]

Kamiko further develops into "shifu" meaning fabric made of woven paper yarns...
16th century



Washi paper is cut into long, narrow ribbon-like strips which are twisted on a spinning wheel, then woven like silk or cotton, traditionally on a handloom. For the warp and the weft of this paper fabric, there are cases in which silk or cotton is used for the warp but when woven there is little difference from ordinary cloth.

Properties
Paper fabric has the drawback of tearing when it becomes wet in the rain but paper fabric can be laundered. Its tradition still remains, although on a limited scale now, as high-class clothing.

Paper yarns give a fabric a very nice dry and crispy hand
source: swicofil

[gius]

shiroishi shifu

Good quality paper was produced in this district in the Edo Period. The cloths were first made as a side business by the warrior class. The quality was improved and demand increased since the fabric became one of the items used as gifts to the Shogun. With the end of the feudal system at the Meiji Restoration (1868) the production came to an end. A Chutaro Sato revived the production and the fabric became a useful substitute to meet the lack of textile in the years of WWII.

kimono.or.jp

Shiroishi city becomes renowned for making the finest paper cloths
1615 Lord Date from Sendai along with Katakura, the head of Shiroishi, encourage the growth of the mulberry tree in the land

[gius]

Here is a Japanese robe made out of paper yarn

swicofil

• Like kamiko
  shifu develops out of necessity
  starting with the peasants

The paper yarn was also used for tying clothing and making lace sandals or bag straps

• In the edo period
  paper becomes more readily available
  and grows fashionable among the upper class
  esp. when using finer paper thread

[Hanne]

Gius.. do you know if Bamboo was used to make textiles 'in the olden days' or is it.. as those who use it nowadays claim.. an entirely new technique ?

[gius]

I haven't read anything on it before, but it would be interesting^ ... I've seen photos of fabrics made from whatever's available in the country, like elm bark and wisteria, little branches, cattails & floral pests you find here and there
I'll see what I can find