COTTLE is making the announcement.
Following on from the "LEAF VEIN" that we briefly introduced the other day, today we will be introducing "GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY".
This series is part of the "UNIFORM FOR LIVING" collection of the brand.
"LEAF VEIN", which we announced the other day, is by SenkohSuiu.
At SenkohSuiu, our definition is to create fabrics that don't exist in the world from scratch .
In contrast, UNIFORM FOR LIVING takes a separate approach, creating fabrics and clothes that exist in the world through COTTLE's own interpretation .
The "CTL DENIM" that we currently sell in our store is also denim.
"GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY" is corduroy.
Denim and corduroy.
These are fabrics and clothes that already exist in the world.
I've written about "CTL DENIM" before, and their denim is indeed amazing.
I think COTTLE denim is No. 1 in the denim world.
And then, "corduroy."
This fabric, this clothing, has also existed for a long time.
As I mentioned in my last blog, COTTLE's GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY is
It has the look of authentic corduroy, but is made with an entirely new weave .
What COTTLE values is "the responsibility of the creator."
Even if it means a lot of cost and effort, we place the utmost importance on quality.
This is what we say loud and clear on our brand.
Most of the corduroy fabric on the market is cheap and made in China.
Japanese-made corduroy, which is said to be of high quality, only has a set weave design.
Additionally, corduroy goes through a slightly different production process than other fabrics.
Due to the differences in the production process compared to other fabrics and the differences in the fabric structure, it is said that developing a new corduroy is very expensive.
Also, it seems really difficult.
Even once that is completed, the buyer still needs to be able to clearly sense the difference, which presents an infinitely high hurdle.
For this reason, currently no brand has attempted to develop corduroy, and even if they did, they would end up giving up halfway through.
Therefore, corduroy that can be called completely new is completely non-existent.
This is the truth.
But COTTLE was different.
Watanabe-san is really going all out.
I think these are the few elements that make him a "legend."
Nowadays, corduroy that you see or see in stores other than COTTLE does not, to be honest, impress me in any way when I see or touch it, except for the miraculous wool silk corduroy (deadstock) from calmlence the other day.
Oh, we also have Isabella. Our store has Isabella corduroy. It's a great product made in Italy.
The only things that made me go "Wow, this is it" were the calmlence deadstock items mentioned above and Isabella Stefanelli's Italian Tea Dye.
Generally, the fabric is advertised as having thick ribs or parent-child corduroy, but the difference is generally limited to the thickness of the ribs, which can be sensed at a glance.
The feel and fluffiness of the fabric itself are all the same, aren't they?
Even though the corduroy has raised fibers, you can pretty much imagine what the texture will be like before you even touch it, and each one is 100% accurate, with the base being quite hard.
That's why I have never met or seen anyone who says, "I love corduroy."
Until I saw this GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY by COTTLE .
As I said before, this brand
Even if it involves huge financial costs and a huge amount of effort, we place the utmost importance on achieving the quality we aim for.
Watanabe himself said this.
In particular, although COTTLE is currently in the midst of spreading its wings and taking off around the world, it is not a large brand.
Therefore, the development of the "corduroy texture" that no one had been able to complete would be even more costly if it was to be produced in small quantities.
Nevertheless, Watanabe managed to achieve the quality he was aiming for.
Together with Kaneta Textiles.
Its great corduroy.
this.
The corduroy already "shines" just by taking a photo.
The warp thread is Shankar organic cotton from India.
The weft thread is "Ultimate Pima Cotton", the same cotton used in LEAF VEIN.
The fabric is woven with warp and weft threads in a ratio of 3:7 .
The weft thread is used in more than twice the amount.
And then there's the ridges, a major characteristic of corduroy.
This is all weft threads .
What GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY aimed for.
"Lightweight, soft, lustrous and durable, made from 100% organic cotton with an authentic rib pitch."
That's it.
I mentioned this in my previous blog, but the usual thing with corduroy is that when you achieve one thing, the other thing becomes the exact opposite.
But, it was a brilliant achievement.
Endless, tremendous, awesome corduroy.
COTTLE's Watanabe says:
"We aimed to create something that wasn't just a rehash of corduroy."
As mentioned above, the phrase expresses the spirit of "taking responsibility for manufacturing."
The spirit of "putting the utmost importance on quality" even if it requires cost and effort.
These two components combine to create "corduroy with a completely new weave design."
specifically.
In order to create it as part of the "UNIFORM FOR LIVING" collection series, it needed to have an authentic corduroy look.
However, simply rehashing what has come before will not achieve what we are aiming for.
Corduroy is usually associated with autumn and winter, but we wanted to make it something comfortable to wear all year round.
We worked together on this project with Kaneta Orimono.
Kaneta-san is also very passionate about manufacturing.
He has stood in front of our store twice so far, so I think anyone who has spoken to him will understand.
I believe that the weavers who have previously had shops in our store, such as Kaneta Orimono, Yamaei Woolen Textiles, and Kuzuryu Woolen Textiles, are the people who will continue to support high-quality manufacturing in Japan, both now and in the future.
The main loom used by Kaneta Orimono is the shuttle loom.
In conclusion,
・Ultimate Pima used
- Woven on a shuttle loom
- Woven with original weave
Corduroy that has these three elements is extremely rare, and this is exactly what Cottle's GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY has.
This became its greatest feature.
By the way, corduroy woven on a shuttle loom is apparently extremely valuable in the first place.
So, everyone should see this.
An overwhelming expansion.
Softness, lightness.
This is a space-level realm.
They apparently carried out various tests while working on developing the new organization.
At first, it didn’t go well, but I ended up...
The warp threads (the base part) are low density.
The weft threads (the part that forms the hairs of the ridges) are highly dense.
So, if you look at the photo above, I think you can see the structure of the thread in the base part.
Next, hold the fabric up to the light and look at it from the other side...
this.
Do you understand it somehow?
The part where the light is shining through is the base.
The areas where light does not pass through and appear darker are the corduroy ridges.
This would never happen with ordinary corduroy.
The base is also very tight and hard, so no light can get through, and the hairs on the ridges are also hard.
However, if the overall density is reduced in order to make it softer, the corduroy will shed rapidly.
Take a look at this.
Especially the tip of my right thumb.
Can you see the incredible number of weft thread bundles, which is incomparable to the base corduroy fabric?
The weft threads are tightly packed into the ridges, causing the flowers to bloom all at once.
This was an incredibly difficult hurdle to overcome.
It is truly soft, light, shiny and durable.
It feels so good, it's inflated and the air flows through it nicely.
This is truly "irreplaceable corduroy."
Or rather, if you think about it, it's corduroy, but maybe it's not corduroy at all.
That's the level of quality it is.
Everyone, please sit back and relax.
If you saw it last year, you'll be amazed again.
And color variations.
The unstained ECRU that has been featured for a while now.
This undyed fabric allows you to experience the texture of GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY to its fullest.
By the way, with regular corduroy, it is said that "gas burning" is sometimes done to remove excess fuzz that is greater than expected, but since this causes a slight change in color when burnt, COTTLE does not gas burn it so that you can experience the fabric as it is.
<ASAGI INDIGO>
The concentration of genuine indigo dye has been adjusted to create a light blue color that pierces the sky.
Speaking of corduroy, there is also summer corduroy, and Watanabe says he wanted to create an image reminiscent of California skaters and surfers.
It's a bright, eye-catching blue, and I think it'll look really cool if you can master it.
Also, the actual product feels quite luxurious.
<AKANE>
Next is ASAGI INDIGO, an eye-catching pink.
It is said to be made from the roots of the madder tree.
I think this is the hardest material to get hold of out of all the GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY fabrics, but last year we had an extremely crazy customer who made shorts out of it (and even altered the length to be super short).
When I handed it to him, it looked amazing on him.
AKANE is so cool.
<MORDANT BLACK (mordant liquid dye)>
This is a very rare dye.
A mordant is used in natural dyeing to fix the dye or to produce a darker color.
Typically, roasting involves placing naturally dyed cloth or clothing into a mordant solution made of iron or aluminum.
COTTLE uses only this mordant solution to dye the fabric deeply, which is a very rare method.
Also, the mordant used is not one of the ones mentioned above, but rather "wood vinegar," which I have never heard of anywhere other than COTTLE.
It is probably hardly ever used because it is such an expensive mordant.
Apparently they use this wood vinegar generously.
The advantage of using this method is that it has a higher potential for creating beautiful aged looks than regular dyeing methods such as "reactive dyeing" or "sulfur dyeing" which is used to create a worn look.
This is a technique unique to COTTLE, which places great importance on dyeing methods.
<AUTHENTIC INDIGO>
"Genuine indigo dyeing" is an indispensable element of the brand.
It is completely chemical-free and features beautiful indigo dye colors.
In particular, the genuine indigo dye of GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY is very deeply dyed, as you will see if you see it in person.
And it has an amazing shine.
This is a genuine indigo dye that boasts rare beauty.
<HARVEST BROWN (mordant dyeing + 3 natural dye colors = total 4 colors)>
Coloring that symbolizes "GOLDEN WHEAT FILED CORDUROY".
"HARVEST BROWN" means "harvest."
One of the antique French wear styles is the distinctive color of brown corduroy.
Even after the passage of time, the beauty of the colors remains strong, and they felt that the unique hues were becoming more beautiful with age.
It does not remain monotonous over time, but rather the colors appear complex depending on the location, the light, and the time of day.
This is COTTLE's ideal brown, an original recipe that was created with the intention of ensuring that it will age beautifully, not just now, but into the future.
The color was achieved by "mordant dyeing" corduroy and then "layering it with three natural colors, each dyed separately."
It is said that this dyeing technique "confines the diverse color expressions and color changes within the ridges of the corduroy."
This dyeing method was created with the hope that COTTLE clothes will remain as antique clothing for 100 years to come, just like antique French wear from 100 years ago.
By the way, the natural dyed colors are a rare secret for COTTLE's Watanabe.
By using them for many years, the natural dye colors may begin to peek out little by little.
<MORDANT INDIGO mordant dyeing + genuine indigo dyeing>
Black indigo.
This corduroy has been dyed with indigo and then mordant dyed.
As mentioned above, AUTHENTIC INDIGO shines brightly against GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY.
Furthermore, by layering mordant dyeing, we aimed to achieve a deep indigo color that is almost black.
The corduroy ridges and the way you move when wearing it give off a deep indigo color.
At first glance it may look black, but it's not that monotonous.
This depth is impressive.
This coloring really shows the amazing power of COTTLE's dyeing techniques.
The "gold-replica buffalo buttons" that we introduced previously are still in good condition.
The "Kintsugi buffalo horn buttons" look stunning with their rich coloring.
This is something to see.
As this is a "UNIFORM FOR LIVING" collection, there are workwear-type clothes as well, which come with these buttons that were also introduced in the denim series.
In addition, the specifications of the clothes, as this is a collection that uses a fabric called corduroy, are carefully designed so that they do not look unfashionable even after years of wear.
The "LEAF VEIN" collection is a high-density fabric that draws the eye to the hand stitching and stitch work, but the "GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY" with its bulging ridges is less visible but is in no way inferior.
All of the detailed specifications are, of course, COTTLE.
There are some elaborate details that you will notice when you wear it, and some details that you won't notice because it's so smooth to use, but "UNIFORM FOR LIVING" = "tools for daily life."
Comfort, functionality and a neat look.
This is a collection series that has been meticulously designed with the owner/wearer in mind.
CORDUROY ZEN JACKET.
The color is MORDANT INDIGO.
A spectacular backside.
HARVEST BROWN.
ASAGI INDIGO.
Of course, the coloring makes a big difference in the impression.
Also from ZEN JACKET, undyed ECRU.
There is a great appeal to undyed fabrics.
CTL NEO TYPE 2nd CORDUROY JACKET.
This is a type of jacket that does not exist at "LEAF VEIN".
AKANE.
CORDUROY CHAMPETRE BOUQUET JACKET.
This one has single eyelids.
AUTHENTIC INDIGO.
The CHAMPETRE BOUQUET JACKET has a wide outer fabric facing at the cuffs, so I think it would be nice to fold the sleeves back a bit.
Well, please try it out for yourself during this period.
CORDUROY GURHKA PANTS.
ASAGI INDIGO.
CORDUROY GURHKA SHORT PANTS.
The legendary shorts.
Well, this time the delivery will be around November or December, so I don't think there will be many enthusiasts who would order these, but these are very cool pants.
CORDUROY BAKER PANTS.
Also hats and bags.
In addition, there is one type of jacket and three types of coats.
This is the first time this has appeared in our store.
Of course, both "LEAF VEIN" and "GOLDEN WHEAT FIELD CORDUROY" can be combined with colors and clothing that are not shown in the photos.
I think we'll be able to line up quite a lot of samples on the day.
As previously announced, Watanabe from COTTLE will be in the store all day on the 24th (Sat).
We look forward to seeing you during this period.