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| ■Exhibition of Eco Shirts at Kyoto City Hall and in Milan, Italy■ |
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An exhibition of Eco Shirts, the collaborative work of several corporations,
was held in mid-May in the vestibule of Kyoto City Hall and in early June
at a gallery in Milan, Italy.
The shirts were originally developed in September of 2010 and made of
yukata (cotton, summer kimono) fabric. The design was refined and made
of organic cotton and trimmed on the plackets, collars or pockets with
the traditional motifs of waves and plovers or dragonflies over streams
often seen on tsumugi or pongee (everyday-use) kimono. Other accents included
morning glories created with traditional Kyoto tie-dying techniques.
This exhibition was executed by Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto City University of Art, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto Notre Dame University and Kyoto City as part of the Exposition for Creation and Implementation of Human Resource Development Programs to Support the Preservation and Revitalization of Cultural Heritage in Kyoto. With the aim of revitalizing traditional crafts through design, this program promotes tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Students protect and revitalize traditional craft items by re-designing them in ways that are relevant, useful and intriguing to people today.
During the Kyoto City Office exhibition, the city council meeting was
in session, providing exposure to a large number of visitors. Donations
were collected for the Ashinaga Organization to benefit children orphaned
in the Tohoku Pacific Earthquake. In support of persons in the disaster
affected areas, we gave away Eco Shirts to persons making donations to
the Ashinaga Fundraising Drive. These were so popular that by the 4th day,
all of the shirts we had prepared, had been eagerly adopted by philanthropists.
The exhibition in Italy was backed by the Consulate General of Japan in
Milan. In addition to Eco Shirts, cups in the shape of morning glories
from the renown Kiyomizu Kilns and yukata fabric umbrellas with morning
glory motifs were on display. Consulate General Shigemi Jomori attended
the event on the opening day and was very encouraging. The work was so
well received that a portion of it is now on permanent display.
The current Eco Shirt Exhibition, takes a second look at lifestyles that demand mass production and insist on mass consumption, works to leave a healthy planet for the next generation, promotes a lifestyle conducive to designs suited to the Japanese climate and culture, and contributes to supportive measures for disaster-affected areas through the Charity Eco Shirt Workshop and other projects. |
| Display of Eco Shirts in Kyoto City Hall |
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Exhibit in Milan
Consul General Shigemi Jomori
(center, seated) |
Trustee/Vice President Furuyama
Briefing the Consul General
(right) |
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