Introduction: Why Canvas Ages Beautifully
There are materials that look best on their first day, crisp, untouched, almost too good. And then there is canvas, that does the contrary. It begins in a very basic and soft way, but as time goes by, it gains a personality that can’t be faked or rushed. Canvas matures naturally, in a manner that is genuine, sincere, and weirdly comforting.
You know, you have seen it up to now, should you ever owned a canvas tote, a jacket, or a pair of shoes. The fabric softens. The edges round out. Small lines form in the places that you hold the most. A light patina falls upon sun, handling, and movement. It is not the fingerprints of everyday use, but these changes are.
Canvas does not disintegrate when the life becomes untidy, it adapts. The tightly woven structure of the fabric is at the center of this. The fibers do not break under friction, but instead slide and settle, thus leaving the canvas looking better after a few months of use as compared to their appearance right off the shelf. It gets softer, more intimate, more personal.
Any new canvas bag is good, but an old one has a story, and weather plays a part, too. Exposure to the sun shades the color a little bit, making the fabric look like it has been worn. When the canvas is not covered with any other substance, every crevice and dent also brings depth, like the leather gradually creates its map of experiences. Others even choose this battered, scratched appearance since it seems that the material has accompanied them, and has grown with them.
The one thing about canvas, however, that is special is patience. It is not in a hurry to make its age evident, and it is not secretive about it. All the marks, all the creases, are delusively acquired, out of actual use, by time. And not like clothes that appear old when used, canvas appears used. There’s a difference, amidst the fascination with surfaces that are clean and replace easily, canvas is in the background to remind us that staying is gorgeous. The fact that one can use something on a daily basis does not mean that it should have lost its form, its intention and its beauty. That tarnish does not necessarily imply the lack of strength.
Perhaps it is the reason why canvas products are favorites. Not that they remain good, but because they become familiar, worn by the places we have been, used by the load we have borne and imprinted by our habits of which we pay little attention. Canvas doesn’t age; it evolves, and that is why it is timeless.