kosaku matsumoto defies scale limitations with cascading hat

japan braid hat is a styling company known for making sanada (braid) hats woven with fabric tape and natural grass straw, in a swirl-like pattern. unlike the ones made by sewing, they are seamlessly woven together and completely jointless. hence, the elegant simplicity of shape makes it possible to increase the hat’s scale —  but how big can it really be?

image © nobutada OMOTE 

for that, architect kosaku matsumoto has collaborated with japan braid hat MFG. CO., ltd. to challenge the very definition of a hat and what its limitation are. in other words, the work attempts to discover a new scale of functions and design possibilities for what is known as a blade hat.

image © nobutada OMOTE  

the outcome of this experiment is a hat five times larger than the standard size, stretching the technical limit of the craftsman and extending the very definition of what this clothing item is. it has been expanded so much that the brim cannot bear its own weight, draping toward the ground to cascade and wrap the whole body of who wears it. like a coat, veil, or a small, sculptural tent, the hat gives various fluid impressions according to the way it is worn.

image © nobutada OMOTE  

image © nobutada OMOTE  

image © nobutada OMOTE  

image © nobutada OMOTE 

image © nobutada OMOTE  

image © nobutada OMOTE 

image © nobutada OMOTE 

image © nobutada OMOTE  

image © nobutada OMOTE 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom

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