Paper clothing
Paper clothing refers to garments and accessories made from paper or paper substitutes.
The earliest known paper clothing was made by the Chinese even before they used paper as a writing medium in the 2nd century CE. Paper clothing, usually made from washi paper, was developed by the Chinese through the centuries, the craft spreading through Asia, until it reached Japan. From the 10th century onwards, Japanese craftspeople produced paper garments called kamiko. Kamiko became a traditional Japanese craft of Shiroishi, Miyagi, carried out to a very high standard and skill during the Edo period. The practice began to die out in the late 19th century, before being revived in the mid-20th century. In the early 20th century, German and Austrian manufacturers began producing "ersatz" paper cloth and clothing in response to wool shortages caused by World War I. While there was a brief period of interest in paper suits and garments during the early 1920s, this did not catch on as despite paper's economic advantages, traditional woven cloth was widely preferred. However, some fancy dress costumes, hats, and fashionable accessories were made from crêpe paper during the early 20th century and in response to resource shortages before and during World War II.
In the late 1950s, manufacturers of disposable paper goods such as the Scott Paper Company developed cellulose-based bonded fiber textiles, which were intended to be used for laboratory and medical garments. Although these textiles are not true paper, they are widely known and marketed as being equivalent to paper. In 1966, Scott offered two paper dresses as a promotional giveaway to accompany a range of disposable tableware, which escalated into a widespread craze for paper dresses and garments that lasted until 1969. The paper dress craze saw many artists and fashion designers creating or inspiring paper garments, including Andy Warhol, Ossie Clark, and Bonnie Cashin. At its height, one American manufacturer produced up to 80,000 dresses in a week. During the 1968 United States presidential election campaigns, most of the candidates had paper dresses printed to support their campaigns. In 1969, the paper dress craze rapidly died out, mainly fuelled by changes in fashion but also by increasing awareness of the issues with disposable consumer goods. Functional single-use paper clothing for protective, medical, and/or traveling needs remained commercially viable.
In the 1990s, paper was revisited as a fashion material as part of a throwback to the '60s, with designers such as Sarah Caplan and Hussein Chalayan becoming known for their work in paper or non-woven paper substitutes such as Tyvek. A significant collection of paper fashion was built in the first decade of the 21st century by the ATOPOS cultural foundation in Athens. In the form of an internationally traveling museum and art gallery exhibition, it has raised awareness of the innovation of paper and paper-substitutes as a fashion and wearable art material over the last millennium.
History of paper clothing (pre-1965)
China
Paper clothing has a long history in China, predating the use of paper for writing purposes. The creation of the earliest form of modern paper is usually credited to Cai Lun, a court official who lived during the Han dynasty. From the second century CE, the Chinese wore paper garments as protection against the cold, which were prized for their warmth and softness. Paper clothing is mentioned in records dating to the Wei dynasty, Jin dynasty and Northern and Southern dynasties. Archaeological excavations in China have uncovered paper hats, shoes, and belts dating back to 418 CE. By the sixth century CE, the Chinese were using washi to make clothing. Paper-making technology was also applied to the manufacture of thick coats and military armour from a thicker, more cardboard-like material.Some of the earliest records of paper armour are from the Tang dynasty, where its invention as an accessible form of civilian self-protection is credited to Shang Suiding. Governor Xi Shang of the city of He-Dong, close to Khitan territory, maintained a one-thousand soldier army whose pleated paper armour was noted as resistant to heavy arrows, essential for resisting Khitan archers. He-Dong militia were still wearing paper armour when the city was attacked a century later by the imperial Song army. Paper armour was worn by Southern Tang civilians during their wars with the Later Zhou in the 950s. Called 'White Armour Armies' due to their white paper armour, these Tang civilian armies were effective against smaller Zhou forces, although avoided confronting the larger armies. During the Song dynasty, practical and functional paper garments prevailed among the literati and monks. Texts from the 1620s document the use of paper for blankets and armour. Such inventions and innovations eventually spread throughout Asia. Paper armour is also described in texts from the later Ming dynasty, including gambesons and arm-guards made from silk paper. By the time of the Qing dynasty, China were importing Korean papers for the use of armour, recognising its toughness and durability. In the late 19th century, the Hui people in Yunnan were still wearing armour made from 30-60 layers of bark paper, combined with silk and cotton. This was considered fairly effective against musket balls and bayonets, which got caught and deflected by the layers of paper, although the armour proved less protective against breech loading rifles fired at close quarters. Paper clothing gradually disappeared in modern era China due to the development of mechanized production and scientific and technological advances which led to the appearance of many new and diverse alternative textiles.
Japan
Paper in Japan was first created by Buddhist monks. The first paper garments in Japan were created by the monks for priests to wear as undergarments and robes. As early as 910 CE, monks were recycling their paper sutras into garments, which began a lasting tradition. Both Japanese farmers and the upper classes wore paper garments, not just out of necessity, but also for worship purposes, and as an aesthetic preference. These paper garments were called kamiko, a contraction of the Japanese word Kamikokoromo which translates as paper dress.Paper clothing was worn in Japan during the Kamakura period, and by the 17th century, washi had become the most widely used paper not just for texts and images, but also for architectural screens, furnishing, and garments. The Edo period saw kamiko reach its most widespread use, along with many other options where a paper textile was substituted for leather or cloth. At this time, paper attire became a desirable and fashionable status symbol. It also gained a key role in the kabuki theatre, where kamiko became the traditional costume for wagoto actors who wore it to show that their characters were fallible and physically weak as well as in financial straits. Kamiko costumes could also denote an overly fashionable individual or a nimaime. The nimaime's paper costumes were often decorated with a calligraphy pattern called fumi-hogo, to suggest that due to financial pressure, he had had to make his kimono out of old love-letters.
One of the most significant areas of washi and kamiko manufacture was Shiroishi, Miyagi, which, for over four centuries was synonymous with sophisticated papermaking technology, including a form of embossed paper known as takuhon-shi. During the Edo period, washi was one of the "Three Whites of Shiroshi". The industry was protected by the Katakura clan, the Lords of Shiroishi Castle, whose patronage enabled washi production to flourish. The Tokugawa shogunate and the Imperial Court were presented with washi and kamiko as state gifts from the Date clan.
From the Meiji period onwards, washi and kamiko were less in demand, and the skills and techniques almost became lost. In the 1920s and 1930s, some Shiroishi citizens asked elderly craftspeople who had been born in the Edo period to teach them the skills and techniques, and in 1940, Nobumitsu Katakura, the lord of Shiroishi Castle, founded the Oshu Shiroishi Kyodo Kogei Kenkujo in liaison with Chutaro Sato, a local kimono seller, and artisan paper-maker Tadao Endo. The intention was to revive kamiko, shifu and washi production skills through research and surveys of Shiroishi's history and traditions. By 2017 the future of kamiko was once again in jeopardy; and in 2020, there were only four people in the city who still made kamiko and the specific washi, although another group of locals have started learning the skills from the original revivalists.
In Japan, washi is usually made using kōzo, mitsumata, or ganpi. Kōzo is typically used, as unlike ganpi, it can be cultivated, and unlike mitsumata, it has long, narrow trunks and a rhizomatic structure creating long fibres that are easy to farm, harvest, and process. The mulberry paper is then kneaded to give it suppleness and flexibility, and treated with various plant-based substances such as konnyaku, a konjac-based starch used since the 18th century, which creates water-resistance and prevents the surface of the paper from pilling. Other agents used are agar, fermented persimmon tannin or various seed and nut oils that can improve the water- or bacteria-resistance of the end product, or strengthen the washi. The end result was paper fabric that could be cut, stitched and hand-laundered like normal cloth; and could even be used for fireman's uniforms. Kaki, when combined with starch and oil, makes washi that can be used for raincoats and umbrellas. The persimmon juice turns the paper brown, producing an alternative shade to white kamiko, which can also be printed with woodblocks to create patterns and color.
An alternative method of paper cloth production is shifu, a woven fabric made using spun washi yarn. Shifu was developed in sixteenth century Japan, and was used by the samurai to make ceremonial clothes.
In the early 21st century, white kamiko continues to be made specifically for participants to wear during the annual Buddhist rituals at Tōdai-ji, an important Buddhist temple in Nara.