Rie Sakamoto, a Japanese designer, has revealed a knitted collection that is made using rubber brands. The collections consist of a series of garments including a dress and a jacket which are knitted using the elastic band.
The innovation is a part of thesis project for the Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan. The agenda is to enlighten the users of the qualities of daily objects that are often ignored and re-establish them as art.
Rie selected rubber considering its aesthetic qualities. After knitting several bands together and viewing them in sunlight she noticed the soft texture, high elasticity, sheerness and beautiful candy colour. “Their stretchy quality lends itself to clothing, as it enables the material to morph to different body shapes and sizes,” said Rie.
The collection took almost half a year to complete. The garments were made by joining each rubber band together one by one before finally knitting them with needles – a function similar to knitting yarn.
The collection was displayed in the graduate exhibition in Tokyo. Though the designer feels that the innovation is not a fit for everyday wear, the playful work would motivate other designers to consider all kinds of materials.
