Ask Harry Wolf to describe his work and he may show you the photograph of a Japanese fisherman's robe, a museum piece from the 19th Century.

"These robes are simply three base layers of cotton, dyed the indigo of the sea, and stitched together with coarse thread. The rows of stitching, vertical and horizontal grids, serve the purpose of relieving stress and distributing it across the fabric. Where the wear is the greatest, in the seat, the shoulders and at the edges, the stitching pattern doubles or triples, increasing the resistance to wear at these crucial locations. The result is rational, intelligent and beautiful. The Japanese never thought to not make it beautifully, as distinct from making something beautiful; that is, the beauty arises out of the intelligent and careful application of the craft to the necessities. Because it is unselfconscious, because it arises out of creatively meeting needs, it retains this sense of beauty over time. This is a great lesson and important to me."