Nº004 - Sashiko Stitched Bifold

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese hand stitching technique used to repair and strengthen old garments or rags. The running stitch can be decorative and often times employs repeating geometric designs or tessellations. We took the basic principles of sashiko and applied them to leather, using a saddle stitch (instead of a running stitch) on a flimsier, stretchier cut of leather that might have otherwise been scrapped, carrying on the mottainai ethos behind boro garments/textiles that utilized sashiko to prolong or give new life to pieces that would have otherwise been discarded. The interesting part about using a sashiko pattern with a saddle stitch is that the backside of the stitch mirrors the front, unlike a traditional sashiko stitch (because of the uneven stitch to spacing length). We took advantage of this by backing and lining the leather to essentially create a double-faced sashiko stitch. Finally, this wallet further "explores" with a new inside configuration with four staggere