Sails Unfurled Again - Zero Waste Life

Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations. Valuing and caring for the things we use, a zero-waste life. Pointing the way to better living for a new era. About one hour's drive southwest of Tokyo, the seaside town of Fujisawa is a marine sports paradise. In a corner of this specialty shop is a display featuring some very special items. A line-up of tote bags, shopping bags and pouches. They're the creation of former pro-yacht racer Tagami Amiko. What makes these products so special is that they're all made from yacht sails. For leisure or competition, sailing yachts are loved by marine sports enthusiasts. The sails that propel them are subjected to fierce wind and heavy rain, so they have to be made tough. But the slightest stretch or tear means they must be replaced for safety reasons and discarded. Tagami collects such unwanted sails and transforms them into a variety of products. It's not waterproof, but it dries quickly. I think it's cute because it's sturdy. It doesn't cost money, and it can be recycled. It's good that it doesn't get thrown away. Yacht sails can be used in bad weather. It's very durable. I think it's great that it can be used for things other than sailing. Tagami is visiting a nearby marina. She's here to collect old sails from a yacht owner. She's received four complete sails. I'm very happy and grateful that she's willing to talk to me like this. Thank you very much. How do you like it? It's nice. Waiting at the studio is Kagawa Midori. Working in the apparel industry for many years, she's a veteran seamstress and Tagami's trusted partner. Today's sail-made creation, tote bags. The first step is cutting up the material. The next step, careful washing, is essential to remove any built-up salt from the sail. Depending on how much salt is on the sail, sometimes I leave it on for a day or two, and sometimes I just wipe it off. Once washed, the sail fabric is dried, and then it's ready for further processing. This is when Kagawa steps in. Multiple overlapping layers of fibers make the material tough, requiring careful stitching on an industrial-grade sewing machine. Once the handles are attached, it's done. A sail destined for disposal, reborn as a charming tote bag. Material strong enough to withstand wind and waves, lightweight but durable, it's also stain-resistant. Tagami and her partner are also particular about a certain design detail, this grommet. Today, Tagami joins some friends to go sailing for the first time in a while. In her days as a professional yacht racer, Tagami sailed the world's oceans. She won the All Japan Women's Championships and represented Japan in international competitions. But even then, the image of sails being discarded one after another stayed with Tagami. When I was racing in a women's team, I wanted to buy a new sail because sailing was faster. I asked, what are you going to do with this? She said, I'm going to throw it away. I said, that's a shame. If not racing, they must have some use. While still active in her career, she decided to make sails into bags. That was when she turned to Kagawa, who lived nearby. It was an interesting material. I touched it and thought, it's going to be a bag. I thought, if I could make one, I'd try it. But she had never sewn with it before and made many mistakes in the beginning. When I actually tried it, I could sew it, but the sewing machine would jump, and the sewing machine would make a noise. It was difficult to do it at home. Unwilling to give up on using sail fabric to make something, Tagami spent the money to acquire an industrial sewing machine and they finally began producing bags. After listing them for sale online, they sold out immediately. Feeling they had finally made progress, five years ago, just as Tagami retired from her sailing career, they set up a studio and began production in earnest. Using all their ingenuity, they came up with many clever applications. The handles of this bag are made from the ropes used for rigging. They also use the ropes for dog leads. This hat design makes the most of the sail's colourful patterns. To share the appeal of sails with as many people as possible, Tagami regularly holds workshops for the public. Let's sew. If you get carried away and speed up, the thread will jump, so let's be modest. She freely shares all the knowledge she's gained with her students. I don't want this to happen when I sew. So I'll stop it here. That one too. Is it okay? Now, open this part and start here. You don't need to return it. Put it on top and that's it. I'm going to show everyone that I'm a sailor. I'm going to show off. I think I've come up with a great idea. I'm a Showa person. I've always felt that it's a waste to throw things away. So before I throw something away, I think about what I can use it for. I really sympathize with that. I hope that all of Japan will stop using unnecessary sails. By doing this kind of activity, a lot of people have started to think that it's a good idea to make a bag out of sails. There are more and more people in the local marinas and in the local communities doing this kind of thing. In the end, when people say, I don't need sails anymore. I don't need unnecessary sails anymore. That's what I want to say.