Today's blog post will be an explanation of what is hakama (the customisable product now on sale). What are the origins of this item of clothing and why have I chosen to work with developing the garment?
The hakama is a garment that is traditionally worn in Japan. The word ‘hakama’ relates to a garment which ties around the waist and hangs to the ankle, meaning it can either be a skirt or trouser. Traditionally, a Japanese outfit would have multiple layers with the hakama sitting over a kimono. Kimono translates to ‘thing to wear’ and is most referred to as the outerwear garment which wraps around the upper body and has rectangular sleeves.
The people who wore hakama were mostly people who had to work. This would include people working in fields or on farms as well as Japanese soldiers and martial artists. The trouser brought a sense of practicality as they are easy to wear, comfy, and create a lot of movement. There were other occasions where people would wear hakama to formal events, the design would be a way of showing off your status or wealth. One common way of doing this was by extending the length of the trouser, having the excess fabric trailing behind the wearer. The longer the trouser, the higher status you had.
When the hakama was in its prime, fabric had to be hand woven and took a lot of time, energy, and resources to weave. This is the reason why Japanese garments have a ‘boxy’ shape. It was all down to the pattern cutting where the fabric was cut into rectangles or squares then sewn together to create wearable pieces. The basic shape means the patterns can be fitted into the woven fabric measurements with no waste.
Hakama are still worn today throughout Japan, however, they have lost their commonality. The main time hakama might be brought out of the wardrobe is for formal events, such as the groom at a wedding wearing a trouser version of the hakama. By going into a rural village within Japan, there could be the chance of finding someone wearing a hakama as some villagers still go by traditional ways.
I have decided to incorporate the hakama in ZERO because of the traditional pattern cutting shapes and methods which can be easily developed. The original designs are a springboard for new ideas, reinventing the hakama into a modern and wearable piece. The original hakama trouser design could be worn by someone at a festival or on holiday, layered with a swimming costume. The design can be taken forward as a new t-shirt design or even a modern dress. The hakama is not just ethical because of the pattern cutting technique but also because of the longevity it holds. The waist band is wrapped around your waist, tying at the front. This allows the size of the waist to be changeable to the wearer, allowing you to keep the garment for longer.
I wanted to write this post to allow you to understand what a hakama is if you did not know already. I wanted to familiarise you with the design and the background of the garment to understand why I have chosen to work with the traditional piece in a modern way. If you have and questions or enquiries, please email me.
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