With its main design philosophies of asymmetry, imperfection, incompleteness and austerity, wabi sabi has been an influential aesthetic for many designers across the globe. It has reached new levels of meaningfulness in recent times with the rising appreciation of artisan and hand made fashion as a reaction against mass production and rampant consumerism. The true beauty of wabi sabi lies in the appreciation of the imperfect, which comes through and is embraced in hand made pieces. Fashion has taken advantage and almost fetishised the hand crafted and rough look and made items that emulate that look without actually following the true values of the design philosophy. It has been turned into another wasteful and short lived product by Western society. However, there are brands and designers still looking to change things and do things the slow way, embracing the natural processes and the qualities of the raw materials. Here is a look into the work of less known contemporary designers that are adapting wabi sabi ideals in their work.


British streetwear label A-Cold-Wall creates unfinished, dirty looking and untidy everyday wear that takes the ideals of wabi sabi and combines them with a contemporary sensibility. The items look worn out and have been taped up with duct tape but still look desirable. Each piece is unique as they are hand dyed to all have a slightly varied finish. The garments are authentically individualistic and not trying to pull off a marketing trick; instead the designer wanted to showcase the touch of the maker.


Story MFG's garments are hand loomed, spun, weaved and dyed to create collections with an austere beauty. The pieces that may vary in their colouring and hand painted details, charm with their imperfections and make each piece a one of kind. Inspired by indian colours and textures, the collections focus and excel in denim but also range into other materials suitable for everyday wear. The brand has taken up production all around the world with different expertise sourced in their respective countries; Hand woven denim and Tahini dyeing in Thailand, laser printing in Valencia and Batik dyeing in India. All these crafts experts join together to create a tapestry of pure skill that combines into lasting, good quality clothing.




The Doen garments are hand woven, embroidered and knitted locally in California and overseas in India and Peru. The pieces have a raw and nostalgic feel with the vintage LA inspired look coveted by the women who owned and founded brand. It is about finding pieces that are comfortable and designed for women by women, in a way that doesn't have to be glamorous in a conventional sense, but finds beauty in nature. By reusing old styles and connecting that with a feminist agenda, the brand is elevating wabi sabi to the modern era.

It's easy to put Armani in a box of being a minimalist, but I would be lying if I didn't say I was intrigued by the Armani Silos Exhibition in Milan on many levels and felt that there is more to say about his designs than that. The first sensation you get entering the exhibitions is his vast experience and long lasting tenure in the fashion industry. He has dressed everyone and done everything, all the while maintaining his precise image that he is so well known for.



The first floor focuses on the "greige" colour he is so well known for, combining grey and beige. This made me immediately focus on the serenity in the detailed craftmanship of his work, which made me decide to focus on the details of his creations; by this I am talking about the bows, buttons and folds that come together to create something extraordinary, and something unmistakably Armani. From the first floor, if you don't know much about Armani before hand you might think his aesthetic is only severe and clean cut which are corner stones of his design process. However, it goes above and beyond on that, building on the simple idea of immaculate tailoring. Everything feels flawless and in a way there is a feeling of wearing a second skin when you dress up in one of these ensembles. Armani is like a life line for a lot of celebrities and the trusted go to designer for all their red carpet events, and it would be hard to imagine the fashion world without someone like Armani.



There is always an air of softness and lightness in his designs that emulate a sense of comfort. This started from things like popularising the power suit for women that made him the go to man for a comfortable yet powerful looking get up. One thing that is certain is that every single piece is made up of exquisite tailoring and every single detail seems considered and purposeful. This makes up a picture of the design house and you can see a clear vision that Armani has implemented that weaves a line through everything from the choice of fabrics, inspirations of the collections to details in accessories. It creates the Armani world that is unmistakable and an important designer to know about. If you are ever in the area and have an interest in fashion, I highly recommend going.

Lately I've come to appreciate and indulge myself in the concept of the more the merrier; more fabric, more colour and more experimentation. I have grown tired of dressing how I used to, in tight jeans and form fitting tops. I have simply grown out of this, and need bigger, oversized garments to suit my sartorial needs. This by no means results in looking like a burlap sack (though come to think of it, I don't think there is anything wrong with that either), but simply welcoming more of the sumptuous textiles that we love. Because why would you keep yourself from enjoying all that clothes have to offer for your body in all their wonderful little ways and limit yourself to the bare minimum? This kind of thinking allowed me to come up with this outfit, where I let my creativity flow and put the richest garments together. It is so satisfying to just let go of expectations and wear whatever you feel like. While on our university trip to Paris we went to the La Mode retrouvée exhibition at the Palais Galliera that focused on the wardrobe of Countess Greffulhe and found a thought-provoking quote by her: "The fashionable woman is only interested in fashion so that she does not need to follow it because she is the fashion. She is the one who decides what to change and works the surprised fabric into new shapes". Now I am not saying that I am as fashionable as the Countess, but just think about the fact that she was this rebellious in early 1900. If she could make fashion what she wanted in that era then what is stopping you and I from doing that now? It is up to us to change fashion if we so desire, and no one is stopping us. The shirt is a men's vintage find, the white trousers Zara, the bag H&M, the sneakers Mango and the coat Zara.

During a harsh winter that devours you and extended periods of hibernation under the covers, it feels exceptionally good to be invigorated by long walks outside or a chat with a friend you haven't seen in a while. It's safe to say most of us are guilty of becoming a little isolated during the colder months. I have days when I realize what a procrastinating sloth I have become, and that I need to get a grip before I get stuck in a state of zero motivation and spirit. It is in these times that I realize that the sense of exuberance that I chase after comes from within, and there are ways to bring out that spark that lives inside you through a little tweak in your wardrobe. I am generally not the kind of person to wear a colour that is even in the ballpark of dark, but everyone gets stuck in a sartorial rut from time to time. I find that a visit to Beyond Retro is always helpful in this regard, since it is a goldmine of one off garment finds. There was this one striking coat with a Victorian floral pattern on pastel turquoise. I knew it was the one the minute I saw it; I will never see anyone with anything like it again, it will never go out of style and it was immaculately made. This would be the piece that would lead to the rediscovery of the fire inside me, and so it did. I am back on the blog, writing after god knows how many months and the writer's block of a lifetime. There are no excuses, but I will say I am back, and ready to get this ball rolling again.