WORDS BY JOSEPH FURNESS
Japanese culture, we can’t get enough of it. We eat sushi for lunch and ramen for dinner; disappear into anime novels whilst journeying in electric Nissan Ubers; spend our weekends playing Mario Kart and watching Marie Kondo on Netflix — all whilst wearing our CDG play tees and Y-3 joggers.
But our latest obsession with the eastern islands isn’t a brand, a person or even something you can eat: it’s a way of living, and it’s called 'wabi sabi'.
Welcome to Farfetch's Wabi Sabi 101.
Like a Christopher Columbus of the 21st Century, Beth Kempton ― life coach, mother of two and author of Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly, Imperfect life ― didn’t invent wabi sabi, but certainly played a role in its western discovery.
The book has been our lifestyle bible since we stumbled across a hardback copy and, like any good apostle, we’re helping Beth spread the word. We celebrate her findings as an incredible feat as she explains why Wabi Sabi has been left undiscovered in the western world for so long — it’s a term (believe it or not) that’s rarely discussed in its home country. That’s right, although wabi sabi is practised daily in Japan, it’s a way of experiencing life that’s weaved into Japanese upbringings as opposed to something that is directly taught and/or studied.
When Kempton had an epiphany about modern society — our battles as a shared collective with stress, money, jobs and appearances that leaves us discontent within our own lives — she set out to find out how us Western folk can return to simpler, more meaningful lives. “A life infused with beauty, connected to nature, thrumming with the energy of everyday wellbeing and built around what really matters to us.”
Having previously lived in Japan and studied a Master's degree in Japanese, Kempton knew that she must return to research the lifestyles of its citizens. The idea of finding new meaning to life “brought to mind the underlying grace, calm and sense of appreciation in Japan...hinting at life lessons tucked into the sleeves of the cultural kimono. I suspected it may have something to do with the elusive concept of wabi sabi, so I set out to discover the hidden truth”.
What is Wabi Sabi?
“Wabi is about finding beauty in simplicity, and a spiritual richness and serenity in detaching from the material world.
Sabi is concerned with the passage of time, with the way that all things grow and decay and how ageing alters the visual nature of those things.
Wabi Sabi is an acceptance and appreciation of the impermanent, imperfect and incomplete nature of everything.”
Kempton is keen to shed light on wabi sabi as she believes the outlook is a necessary antidote to the harmful state of present society. Think of wabi sabi as a fresh lens to look through, one that isn’t attached to the rear of your iPhone.
Wabi Sabi can be interpreted to help improve most (if not all) aspects of an individual’s lifestyle. Most excitingly for us Farfetchers, Kempton explains how a wabi sabi mindset can aid ‘soulful shopping’.
Soulful shopping is all about purchasing pieces that have a positive impact on you — or, as Marie Kondo would say, sparks joy — as well as pieces that are made to last. This take on spending habits is recommended by Kempton to encourage an appreciation for the gifts of a simple life.
Wabi Sabi ‘Soulful Shopping’
When you’re considering buying something new, ask yourself three questions:
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Do I love it? Will I still want it twenty-four hours from now? A year from now? There is a beauty in longing. Can I wait a while for it, to make sure I really want it?
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Does it serve the season of life I am in right now (or in buying it, am I trying to hold on to the past or pressuring myself into a particular version of my life in the future)?
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Does it work with the other things I own?
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Is it worth paying a little more to get a version that will last?
Wabi Sabi Style
Although the concept of wabi sabi is understood differently by each individual, and therefore its style should come from the heart, there are a number of adjectives and phrases that are frequently associated with its aesthetic ― words that Kempton describes as ‘wabisabiesque’.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Asymmetrical
We should embrace the askew; very few things in life are perfect.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Marked with the passage of time
“Age often adds depth and beauty.”
Wabi Sabi style is…
Greys
A soothing, comforting colour that works well in any situation; grey is a colour that you can always rely on.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Organic
Knowing that the piece you have purchased has been produced in the greenest way possible makes you feel very good about yourself. Honestly, try it.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Blues
“A wabi sabi inspired worldview can help us invite calm in the midst of chaos.”
Wabi Sabi style is…
Irregular
Wabi Sabi is the Japanese art of imperfection, and therefore we should appreciate even the irregular.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Earthy
“Wabi Sabi is borne of a people whose traditional view is one predicated on nature is that they are a part of, not separate from it.”
Wabi Sabi style is…
Raw
The pure state of a material is so much better than the processed version.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Flawed
There is beauty in flawed objects, they are full of charm and character.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Rusts
The pure state of a material is so much better than the processed version.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Understated
“Less chaos, more calm. Less complexity, more clarity.”
Wabi Sabi style is…
Simple and Subtle
“Soulful simplicity makes for contented sufficiency”
Wabi Sabi style is…
Green
Green is the colour of life and reminds us of the planet that we live on.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Modest
Sometimes it’s nice to blend in and be respected than to stand out a cause a stir. Modest looks can create the illusion of effortlessness.
Wabi Sabi style is…
Natural
“Nature is an essential element of a Wabi Sabi inspired home as it connects to the deepest part of the whole wabi sabi philosophy, reminding us of the transient nature of life.”
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