![]() ![]() In the last decade or so, Japanese fashion has caught wide international attention. The expressions of stitchers in the two groups are very different though equally powerful in transforming their lives along with the materials they stitch, in the process recording stories of their experiences. In both cases, the materials that result from the act of stitching are carried out by the movement of hands, eyes, and a threaded needle on cloth. In modern Japan, the stitchery of members of the Nui Project sustains their sense of well-being (Figure One). In the ancient world, stitchery was essential for human survival, and later in rural Japan, sashiko stitchery was a medium that connected textiles with daily life, providing for functional and decorative needs. I will contrast and compare two practices, one ancient and one modern, one responding to life’s necessities and the other simply to the act of stitching. This paper seeks to reveal the transformative power of stitchery by examining textile practices in Japan and articulating how a threaded needle can be viewed as the co-agent of stitchers, infusing their materials with properties in a ‘processual’ and relational manner that reflects the currents of the lifeworld.
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