“Braiding deserves to be more widely shared”

All images (c) Gabrielle Barbé

During her first year in textile design at KASK, Gabrielle Barbé discovered the Japanese technique of kumihimo. “One of our initial projects focused on threads. We had to choose a thread structure as a starting point, which was in my case a tubular braided cord. While exploring ways to recreate this structure in my own way, I discovered the kumihimo technique. From here, I also learnt about Soft Connection Lab”, tells Gabrielle Barbé.

“I explored methods to connect various objects and as a result, I also incorporated several small objects directly into my braidings. The Healing through braiding open call by Soft Connection Lab felt like a great opportunity to continue exploring the Japanese braiding technique kumihimo and working on this concept. As an industrial designer, I immediately understood the potential of braiding to repair objects. So, I was thrilled with the opportunity of bringing this idea to life thanks to the open call.”

The future of design  
Gabrielle Barbé selected three different objects to repair, adding a colorful touch through the fabric; a badminton racket, a sliced baguette and a broken chair found on the street. “Wrapping the handle of the racket with braids in purple and yellow was a more symbolic than functional intervention as it was still possible to use it without the braid. By binding the two halves of the baguette together, I found out that braiding could also serve as a transport handle”, states the designer. “As for the chair, I reinforced its broken sections through braiding before returning it to the street, hoping someone might use it once more.”

“I enjoyed the playful, spontaneous experience, and completed each piece in about an hour. Working quickly with limited materials encouraged a sense of creativity, allowing room for exploration and immediate response. The kumihimo technique proved remarkably versatile, adapting well to each object”, tells Gabrielle Barbé.

Gabrielle Barbé calls her participation in the Healing through braiding open call an “enriching experience”. “It opened new perspectives on the applications of kumihimo and emphasized the potential of restorative practices in textile design. As I believe the future of design lies in practices such as reusing, repairing and learning to create things yourself, braiding is super inspiring. It’s an excellent way to restore or transform an object or create extra value. These techniques, which are accessible to everyone, versatile and adaptable to individual needs, deserve to be more widely shared and taught.”

All images (c) Gabrielle Barbé