Looking for an eco-friendly alternative to gift wrapping paper this holiday? Take a nod from the ancient Japanese art of cloth wrapping, furoshiki to gift goodies without adding to landfills this holiday season.
Furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that can be a beautiful, multi-use, reusable way to wrap holiday gifts. It is used in Japan to transport clothes, food and other goods but most commonly utilized to carry “bento” boxes (lunch boxes) or double as a table mat for lunch. Furoshiki uses origami-like folding techniques and knotting methods to artfully and securely wrap a special gift.
Historically used to carry one’s clothes to and from the “sento”, the Japanese public baths, the usage of furoshiki evolved so that merchants could effectively transport their wares and also as a unique way to protect and decorate a gift.
Available in many designs, fabric types and sizes up to as large as a bed sheet, the furoshiki has become a popular, waste-free gift wrapping alternative to disposable gift wrap that is now widely accessible outside of Japan.
Uniqlo, the crowd-pleasing, Japanese retailer introduced eye-catching and affordable furoshiki cloths ($5.90) in stores and online for the holiday season. They’ve also collaborated with Japanese artists for special Uniqlo furoshiki designs. I love the simple Uniqlo visuals that show consumers how furoshiki cloths can be folded and used:
British natural/vegan beauty brand, LUSH Cosmetics has always offered their own line of sustainable, eco-friendly “knot-wraps” for customers to wrap the store’s handmade soaps and gifts in. LUSH’s fun and festive knot-wraps give a modern twist on the traditional furoshiki cloths and encourage less use of paper bags and wrappings. Recently LUSH teamed up with legendary Bristish designer, Vivienne Westwood for a special edition knot-wrap ($25.95) to promote a “Climate Revolution” this holiday season. The knot-wrap is made from 100% organic cotton and can be used as gift wrap, a headscarf, a bandanna or framed as art.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLjiZp0CZCY
Will you be trying out the art of furoshiki as an alternative to gift wrapping this year? Do you have any eco-friendly gift wrapping methods?
Mademoiselle nature (@MlleNature)
That is really a lovely packaging! 🙂
Kasey Michelle
I love that it’s very customizable too!
baileyblush
I absolutely love this! Its so cute, what a wonderful eco friendly idea.
Kasey Michelle
I agree, it’s a great idea! I’ll definitely be trying this out this holiday. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Ningrum
Oh, how I love this furoshiki! I’ve been thinking about doing this for another gift wrapping projects. Lately, to reduce paper or plastic wrap, I use fabric tote or sack. Quite cute! When I have no fabric, I don’t wrap my gift at all, and use ribbons instead, just to make it proper. 😀
Thanks for the post, anyway! 🙂