A sweatshirt

A  sweatshirt, bought from Loopwheeler in Tokyo, in 2007.  

I love the way Japanese companies look at things and ask, what could this be like if it were made as well as humanly possible? This sweatshirt is one answer: cotton thread, slowly loop-wheeled on old, noisy machines; made with care, because it mattered.  

There’s a Japanese story which comes to mind when I feel guilty about the work I do. An old thief visits a Zen master, seeking redemption and enlightenment having done so much wrong in his life. The monk asks him, “What are you?” to which he replies, “A thief.”  

“Then be a good thief.” says the monk.   

Fashion and the vain pursuit of elegance are ludicrous; but this sweatshirt was made by a good thief.