This coat is made using the boro technique—the patching together of used textiles into a new utilitarian garment. These textiles are often dyed with indigo, which is commonly used for work clothes in Japan. This is a great example of the Japanese wabi-sabi tradition: wabi: the beauty in austerity and imperfection and sabi: beauty that comes with age and loving use.
In Japan, dyers use sukumo to create their dye vats. Sukumo are fermented leaves from polygonum tinctoria (also known as Japanese Indigo). The leaves are harvested, shredded, and carefully composed over at least a three-month period. During this time, the composting piles are covered by thick straw mats. The steaming heaps are regularly watered and turned over until they are of a specific consistency and color, indicating that the right chemical reaction has taken place.