Waraji Sandals

When Japanese designer Reiko Sudo visited a textile mill in Tsuruoka in northern Japan, she came across Kibiso silk, the material shown here. Kibiso is the tough, outermost skin of the silkworm’s cocoon; it is the first fiber excreted by the silkworm and used primarily for protection. Although this waste material is too thick and rough for industrial weaving, Sudo was nonetheless captivated by it. Working with local weavers, she repurposed the material to make the Waraji Sandals on display here, which are traditionally made by hand from rice straw in this area of Japan and worn by actors in the traditional Japanese Kabuki theater.