24 Mar WEEKEND READING | WABI-SABI
The idea of wabi-sabi is something I have always been interested in. The definition reads: Wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. As a designer, this book is a must-read. So many designers are perfectionists, which isn’t always a bad thing, but finding beauty in the imperfect can also be enlightening. I like to look at wabi-sabi as it relates to fashion. Fashion is never complete or permanent, it is a fluid idea, ever-evolving. This book puts things into perspective in a time where more is more in fashion. “To experience wabi-sabi you have to slow way down, be patient and look very closely.”
My design process was influenced by this book in so many ways. One of my favorite passages reads “Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.” I also found the below comparison between modernism and wabi-sabi very helpful. I find that my design aesthetic straddles the two columns, forming a balance that works well for DE SMET.
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