I mentioned "cotton" a little the other day.
This time, we will work with a certain brand to make clothes using what we think is the best cotton material at the moment, and have a weaver weave the fabric and a sewing factory to sew it. I did.
Up until now, we have made original fabrics and introduced them to everyone, such as "ZZ Strong Twisted Twill Triple Weave", "Ferreira Mohair", and "Guanaco x FOX50G", but all of them have been produced for several years. It was something that we had put a lot of effort into.
This time, it took more than two years.
However, as of now, we are not making any new clothes that start from this kind of ``fabric making'', so we have no plans to release anything like this for the time being.
And this time.
The other day, I touched on "cotton" a little.
As mentioned earlier, our clothes are made only from "cotton fiber", which we believe is the best.
It was woven by Kaneta Orimono.
Shizuoka Prefecture is a producer of cotton textiles.
Mr. Kaneta is located in Kakegawa City.
Kaneta Orimono is
“Manufacturing that can only be woven by Kaneta Orimono and cannot be imitated anywhere else”
Raise the word.
I feel that is exactly the case.
There are 100% cotton fabrics everywhere in the world.
Kaneta Orimono's fabrics have the same description everywhere if you just look at the blending percentage.
But even though it's 100% cotton, it feels completely different the moment you touch it.
Sometimes, things can be completely different just by looking at them.
A strong touch and the power of fabric with destructive power far beyond imagination.
Ever since I learned about the fabrics woven by Kaneta Orimono, my concept of "cotton fabric" has changed dramatically.
Kaneta Orimono owns 22 old shuttle looms.
In addition, there are two "rapier looms" that weave faster than shuttle looms.
They mainly use "old-model shuttle looms," and they own the largest number of them in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is a major producer of cotton textiles in Japan.
However, this is not a large-scale weaving shop, but rather a family-run shop with several craftsmen who have been running the business for generations, and each piece is finished with great care.
The loom has the perfect temperature and humidity controls for weaving fabric, and is lined with old looms.
In one corner, as shown in the photo, there is a shuttle loom that looks as if it has been covered in snow.
The "old shuttle loom" that Mr. Kaneta uses is one that is no longer in production, and in today's world of advanced technology, it is an old loom that cannot even be called a "machine."
As for the image, it's a "handloom" like the one that appears in Tsuru no Ongaeshi.
Something that strengthens that power.
It's like an "old-fashioned tool," so if you keep using it, it's bound to break down.
That's why even the old shuttle looms that are no longer in use are kept instead of being disposed of.
Even if the shuttle loom we are currently using breaks down, we can replace the parts and make it work again.
By making full use of these old shuttle looms, Kaneta Orimono creates fabrics that are unique to Kaneta Orimono and have no similar products anywhere else in the world.
Really, it's completely different. It's an incredible fabric. What Kaneta makes.
It seems that more than 70 years have passed since the company was founded.
Normally, in today's world, people who do this kind of work tend to work by comparing things to history, such as ``this is how things have been done up until now'' or ``this is how things are.'' I think.
It ends up feeling like a "conservative among conservatives."
However, as far as I know, Kaneta Orimono, Katsuri Keori, Sanei Keori, and Mitsuboshi Keori also value their past history and tradition, but that's not the only thing.
I think they are people who continue to carry out "innovation within maintenance."
Among these, Kaneta Orimono is especially passionate.
This cotton fiber is truly special, but normally, from a global perspective, high-quality fibers are monopolized by Europe, or Europe accounts for most, if not that much. be.
For example, even with cotton, GIZA 45, according to Kaneta, is a fiber that is exclusive to Europe and will never be made in Japan.
However, the ingredients this time are different.
Kaneta Orimono is the company that taught us about the existence of this cotton, but it seems that it will never reach Europe.
Because of the spinning company, it can only go into Japan.
However, because the amount produced is so small, its existence is not disclosed even in Japan.
Therefore, even in the upstream clothing industry, it is a raw material that almost no one knows about.
This is what can be called a "phantom fiber."
In the past, I have visited Kaneta Orimono myself, and I have been impressed by their manufacturing, their way of thinking, and their passion for what they create.
Through the brands that we carry in our store, such as Yamauchi, Araki Yuu, COTTLE, and nonnotte, I was deeply moved and captivated by Kaneta's fabrics, and my own approach and way of thinking about cotton changed. change,
"Who makes it?"
It made me think deeply about the importance of this.
That's why I wanted Kaneta to make this dream-like fabric for me.
However, the hurdles for obtaining this raw material were too high, and a seemingly impossible lot was placed in front of us.
However, Kaneta Orimono made this possible.
If CASANOVA&CO and the brand we are working with to create this clothing really want to do it...
``We (Mr. Kaneta) want to try it too, so since we have a lot, we will do it together.''
can't believe it.
These words make me so happy.
From then on, he spent two years researching and developing it.
This time, we were able to create a "cotton fabric" that had never been seen before in the world.
This is the "cotton thread".
This is definitely something that only Kaneta Orimono can create.
That's what Kaneta Orimono is like.
First of all, it's about the fabric.
Cotton fabrics are made in lengths of around 50m and their widths.
The 50m long fabric is wound into a roll and is called the "gentan".
The length of the original fabric is 50m, but of course there is a concept of "width" as well as length.
Usually, mass-produced fabrics have a width design of 140cm to 180cm, which is called "double width."
Fabric is priced in 1m increments, but if the width of the fabric is, for example, 150cm for a length of 1m, the unit price is calculated for 1m (150cm width), and the amount is You can use it.
For example, the amount of fabric used for one shirt is approximately 1.5m (fabric width 150cm).
If the fabric costs 1,000 yen per meter (wholesale price), it would be 1,500 yen because it is 1.5 m (fabric width 150 cm) x 1,000 yen.
However, the shuttle loom that Kaneta uses is only about 80cm wide. It's half of what's currently mainstream.
Apparently some of them have been modified into "double-width shuttle looms."
Basically, the fabric width is as narrow as 80cm.
This means that compared to the mainstream double-width shirt, the width of the fabric is only half, so it simply takes about twice as much to make one shirt.
Of course, the cost of fabric per piece also comes into play.
Clothes brands naturally care about the price of their products, so they try to create products that use fabric efficiently and are balanced with price.
Therefore, if you try to make clothes using Kaneta's narrow fabric, the price may end up being high.
In addition, because of the image of ``small fabric'', ``cutting techniques'' are required in the clothing production process.
However, Kaneta Orimono continues to make full use of shuttle looms, pursuing possibilities that can only be realized with shuttle looms.
If production efficiency is the most important aspect of making clothes, Kaneta's fabrics would be difficult to adapt to, as they would likely result in higher product sales prices.
Mr. Yamauchi, who uses Kaneta's fabrics for clothing at our store, also said that the brands that use Kaneta's cotton fabrics need to be skilled.
Therefore, Kaneta Orimono's fabrics are not likely to be used by manufacturers and brands that place importance on product price and "efficiency" during production, but that is precisely why Kaneta says, "Only Kaneta Orimono can make fabrics." We are pursuing "fabric".
Fabrics that are not only about "production efficiency" but also "can move your heart."
"Creation" accompanied by overwhelming technology resides in the fabric.
There is no such thing as ``carrying out work as usual''.
As a weaver, I have the passion to always bring something truly valuable and good to the world through cotton textiles.
I think that's what allows us to continue to focus our efforts on research and development, and the things that these people create are amazing.
Because it is such a fabric, it is absolute.
It's different from other cotton fabrics.
I hope to be able to introduce it to everyone soon.
Then, I asked the sewing factory that I had always wanted to be able to sew this wonderful fabric.
Saitama prefecture
"Fashion Izumi".
Continue.