the obi series – consisting of four pieces - is one of the most historical series of all of the Ø archive collection.

each Ø archive collection takes a single textile artifact and creates multiple pieces from it, until the original artifact is completely used; transformed in to a few uniquely new articles of clothing.

the obi series is made from a textile artifact discovered in St Quen Clignancourt antique market in Paris.

an obi is the waist cloth wrapped around a kimono in traditional geisha dress. the width of a traditional obi is 30cm (11.8”).

this obi cloth, before cutting, was traditional width. to make a full garment, additional textile components were added based on the weaving style and the motifs within the obi brocade.

Ø places the origin of this artifact as China and, given the modern western influenced motif, Ø believes that it was produced during Japanese occupation (mid 1930’s to early 1940s). we can speculate that the piece got to France during wartimes - and trade times - when china was a national ally of France. we also spirited from the history conveyed by the vendor.

in the obi series, seam details are highlighted with gold metallic 3mm trim. flaws in the fabric (from age) were reinforced and highlighted in gold metal thread to created a unique motif that is signature to Ø.

this garment has traditional tailoring details, with parts of the interior structure given form by 100% cotton crinoline, a very stiff woven sheer fabric used specifically to give a garment a strong shape and used in the early design process to build woven garment silhouettes. Ø choose to crush this garment after making, so that it could be worn by women of multiple sizes from extra small - large.

Ø is transforming a global fashion archive collection of textile artifacts into new one-off pieces in a zerøwaste process. the collection contains pieces that have been acquired over the past 25 years from different world cultures and different eras. 

each piece has individual heritage and provenance before it came to the studio and is added to when it leaves the studio. the last remaining scraps from our process go into hand made paper, as raw materials for artists, and sometimes as internal make up for the garments, as in Ø remant # 1. the sleeve cuffs are stuffed with thread and micro scrap waste.

when you wear an archive piece, please be mindful that you are part of an economic microcosm. 6-8 women worked on this piece. your appreciation of beauty and exquisite quality supports their work.

Ø provides a safe, nurturing and mentoring work environment for women who have transcending victimization. we currently partner with a local non-profit that provides housing, care, recovery and counsel to women transitioning out of addiction and commercial sex. atlanta has the largest commercial sex trade in the nation.

we added only biodegradable textiles to the Ø obi artifact. professional cleaning only. we suggest organic dry cleaning. these garments have precious collection value and we regret that they cannot be shipped multiple times to multiple customers. we are happy to send more images and measurements and discuss your purchase specifics with you one on one. you may set up an appointment if you like by emailing intel@zerowastekarenglass.com

we are grateful for you.