Intermission

I built this coat from jeans that were finished. Worn through, faded out, destined for landfill. Intermission is a floor-length bog coat constructed entirely from salvaged denim: dark indigo, faded blue, vintage texture, different washes and different weights patchworked into one continuous garment. The silhouette is inspired by the traditional Japanese noragi, a work robe worn over other clothing, long and loose with a self-fabric belt that wraps and ties at the waist.

Every seam is stitched with blue thread using a flatlock stitch. Every edge is bound. White running stitch traces each seam and hem. Two round patch pockets carry sashiko embroidery in a simple crosses pattern. Three-quarter sleeves drape open. The labour is the design.

This piece took 20+ hours: deconstructing multiple pairs of jeans, planning the patchwork composition to balance light and dark, cutting and piecing each panel, and hand-stitching sashiko throughout for both structure and visibility.

I made Intermission for The Wearable Art Show 2025, where the theme was "The Theatre of Fashion." I didn't want to recreate a costume. I wanted to interpret theatre as concept, as the architecture of storytelling itself. An intermission is the pause between acts. The moment when the story stops but doesn't end. Repair lives in that same space. When you mend instead of discard, you extend the narrative. You say: this isn't over yet.

Each panel of salvaged denim had reached its conclusion. Here, it gets a second act.

One of a kind. Not restored to what it was. Transformed into what comes next.