Amazing Japanese way to mend torn clothes
TOKYO: Japan has an age-old knowledge of treating precious but frayed fabrics known as ‘kaketsugi’, with results so amazing that even an expert’s eye cannot see them even when the fabric is brand new. As it appears.
Although the importance of quilters has declined in the fast-paced era, there are still experts in Japan who have been doing it for generations, using fine needle and thread to fill holes in precious fabrics. On the other hand, the Japanese are attached to their traditions and thus they want to keep the old valuable and memorable clothes or clothing in the best condition. This is the reason why the art of ‘Kaketsugi’ is still alive today.
Takao Matsumoto, a tailor in Japan, is an expert who has been doing this for the past 55 years. Apart from this, there is also a very famous father and daughter team who have universal fame in this art.
In this technology, the threads and fibers are removed from the cloth itself. The excess fiber is then removed by dipping in an acetone solution and the yarn is straightened. After that, the thread of the same color as the design of the fabric is carefully placed. In the end, the hole does not even look like a torn fabric and the garment looks exactly like the original.
But depending on the design, the thread is brought in different directions and the raffo process is done from both sides of the fabric. After completing the chest process, this raffo is made hard and durable by adding a glue-like solution.
A company in Tokyo specializes in ‘kaketsugi’, which repairs extremely difficult holes but is also a very expensive process. The cost of patching a half-centimeter hole in fabric is $136 (Pakistani Rupees 30,000) and up to $362 to fill a hole larger than that.
“Kaketsugi” masters repair the cloths and other valuables in the museum and the art is still alive today.
