Grandfather Jacket

Grandfathers wear this traditional jacket as they farm and guide water-buffalo across the gleaming rice patties.  They "leave for work" at sunrise, walking along foot trails through the mountain forest, then return at the end of the day leisurely smoking from a curvy long pipe of bamboo. Their calm and confident demeanor as they walk home is striking, perhaps a reflection of living on their own ancestral land. They wear indigo-dyed clothing because it repels insects and mosquitos while they are farming. As an herbal medicine, indigo is a natural antiseptic and cooling on the skin. This jacket was dyed in natural indigo six times over two weeks to achieve a deep saturation. This traditional style was made from heavy cotton fabric hand-woven by a grandmother 40+ years ago. It was stored in wooden trunks in a village home, waiting to, one day, be transformed into the perfect jacket. The heavy hand-spun fabric feels soft against the skin while the unlined interior reveals the lovingly hand