“KABIRA & KANGRI”

The KURA gallery of ISSEY MIYAKE KYOTO presents KURA Exhibition “KABIRA & KANGRI.”

HaaT, a brand that creates ideas from textiles, will hold an exhibition on the background to clothes-making through KABIRA and KANGRI, which are the origins of India’s handicrafts.

KABIRA is a Sashiko needlework technique that resurrects fabric with fine stitches put in one stitch at a time. By forgetting time and becoming absorbed in sewing, KABIRA is said to offer peace of mind similar to meditation. On the other hand, KANGRI refers to the hem of clothing, in which the seams are notched into triangles and sewn. A custom of wearing ultrathin fabric made with fine thread in pursuit of comfort has taken root in India, which often experiences intense heat due to the characteristics of its topography and climate.

The exhibition will focus on these two techniques, showing clothing that fuses India’s highest level of craftsmanship and designs by the HaaT team and textile samples. It will also feature photos documenting production scenes from the workshop in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, known as the city of cotton as well as visual photos taken from the perspective of photographer Yuriko Takagi.

The living handiwork of dedicated craftsmen give a glimpse of an environmental philosophy. Using strong spun cotton cloth that is not hand-woven clothes and being able to enjoy them for at least 10 years explores what the essence of abundance really is.