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Lasting Luxury: Arts and Crafts with Xia Bu 夏布, a Traditional Handloomed Ramie Fabric

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Abstract

Since the dawn of mankind luxury was characterized by the use of expensive materials which skilled craftsmen had carefully reshaped. Since the industrial revolution machines have often substituted craftmanship. This reduction in cost however contradicts the meaning of luxury. Sustainable materials can revert this development: machinery often is not able to replicate skilled craftsmen when processing delicate natural fabrics. We exemplify this trend by showcasing Xia Bu, a traditional hand-made natural fiber from ramie plant that has clothed emperors and commoners for several millennia.

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Correspondence to Ying Luo .

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Luo, Y. (2020). Lasting Luxury: Arts and Crafts with Xia Bu 夏布, a Traditional Handloomed Ramie Fabric. In: Gardetti, M., Coste-Manière, I. (eds) Sustainable Luxury and Craftsmanship. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3769-1_5

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