From the other day, I had Kuzuri Keori make the fabric. This time, thanks to Kuzuri Keori, I was able to create a very special fabric that I myself pursued.
As I wrote in my previous blog, the first time I learned about this fiber was when I went to Kuzuri Keori together with the designer of the brand. Even with that brand, the fiber could not be used in the collection due to the high hurdles. However, when I learned of its existence, I felt a tremendous attraction, and I felt like I was about to be attracted to it, but at the time, I felt that it was an existence that was too high level.
not now. and. Absolutely impossible right now. That's what it felt like. In a sense, the fiber was something I longed for. However, no matter how many years passed, the existence of that fiber would never disappear from my mind. I believed that I could make clothes that would be appreciated.
that fiber. "Ferreira Mohair". New South Wales, Australia. There is a "Ferreira Ranch" run by the Ferreira brothers. In the first place, the fiber called "mohair" is made from the "angora goat". I think most of the "mohair fibers" that exist in the world today are distributed as sweet wool-nylon blends for knitting. It is an elaborate design, and although there are knits made of 100 mohair, most of them are blended. MOTHER HAND artisan's silk mohair knit that we sold at our store the other day was "a thread that condensed Mr. Nagai's intention". Most of the worsted fabrics are wool blends, and even the worsted fabric of mohair 100, I think most of them are "breathable" fabrics for spring and summer. An image like worsted mohair = spring and summer. This is because the mohair fiber itself is "thick and strong", so it can be woven into loosely dense fabric with gaps.
However, on the other hand, due to the characteristics of the fiber, it is difficult to weave it with high density. Therefore, there is an aspect that high-density fabrics cannot be woven in the first place. That's because mohair is a very "slippery fiber". All animal fibers have scales, similar to the cuticle in human hair. When comparing the "thing with many scales" and the "thing with no scales" and thinking about "Which surface is smoother?", the "thing with no scales" Isn't it smooth?
Mohair has very few scales, which is a smooth fiber. Therefore, when making woven fabric, the threads slip and it is very difficult to weave with high density. As a result, we now see only 100% mohair woven fabrics suitable for spring and summer. Please keep this in mind. And back to Ferreira. "Angora goat" which is the raw hair of mohair. Major regions of the world for Angora goats include South Africa, the United States, Turkey, and Argentina. Among them, the ranch that raises Angora goats is said to be divided into two.
・Stud Farm
・Flock Farm
It is divided into two, and both seem to have completely different properties.
・A stud farm is "a ranch whose main purpose is to improve the quality of Angora goats and to provide seeds."
・A flock farm is "a ranch whose main purpose is to receive seeds and produce them."
I think it's easy to imagine that most of the world is flock farms when divided into two like this.
However, Ferreira Ranch runs a "stud farm" that emphasizes quality. Until now, it seems that the ranch has continued to win the highest quality trophy every year in South Africa, the world's largest production area.
However, the Ferreira brothers sought even higher quality mohair, selected thousands of excellent Angora goats, and moved them from their ranch in South Africa to New South Wales, Australia. After that, in collaboration with a local university in an area suitable for raising Angora goats, we checked the DNA of each individual Angora goat and managed the breeding according to the weather conditions every day. He's been doing research for years.
As a result, the Angora goats raised at Ferreira Ranch have been recognized as "the world's highest quality", and the farm has made it possible to produce mohair material that is an order of magnitude higher than ordinary mohair. That's why the raw wool collected from Angora goats raised at the Ferreira Ranch is called "Ferreira Mohair".
The "Ferreira Mohair" is said to have a quality that greatly overturns the common sense of mohair fibers until then. Like wool and alpaca, the quality of mohair is determined by the "fineness" of the mohair. An adult human hair is about 80 microns. Normal mohair is about 37 microns, about half the size of a human. Among them, kid mohair within one year of age, which is said to be of high quality, is said to be 25 to 27 microns. However, Kid Mohair produced at the Ferreira Ranch achieves a value of 19 to 22 microns. In addition, mohair has long fibers compared to wool and other animal hairs.
And, as mentioned above, the scale is very smooth. The only reason in Japan that Mr. Keori Kuzuri of Aichi Prefecture is allowed to use such "Ferreira mohair" as a fabric. The Ferreira mohair that Mr. Kuzuri uses is "kid mohair among Ferreira mohair" and "only the best quality kid mohair". Yabayaba super dangerous. This is about raw materials. Furthermore, from here to spinning. Spinning is the spinning of fibers into yarn. The raw wool produced by Ferreira mohair is spun by an Italian spinning company called "Suedwolle Group Italia SpA". I can't read this.
However, it was originally a spinning company called Safil, which has a long history and is a leading company in the world's spinning industry that continues to innovate and evolve even among Italian spinning companies. In particular, mohair is a difficult material to spin and is a special fiber that requires a great deal of experience and know-how. Based on the experience that the company has cultivated, in order to further evolve and create "the world's highest quality yarn", we introduced a super special mohair spinning machine, and Ferreira mohair is produced by this spinning machine. It seems to be spinning.
Before this "Ferreira Ranch" and "Safil" teamed up, it seems that only thick threads were distributed in the world because mohair is a thick fiber. However, through collaboration between the two, a "mohair thread" that did not exist before was born. I'm using the thread again this time. "64 count two-ply yarn" To be frank, I don't know if it's thick or thin, but Mr. Kuzutani of Kuzuri Keori says that 100% mohair is the only fine thread in the world. The quality is said to be incomparable.
This year, 2022, I met the fiber called "Ferreira Mohair", "2/64 thread". I had already heard about it, but the brilliance of the raw hair, the texture, the aura, everything was exceptionally different.
That's it. When you take a normal photo, it shines so brightly that it will appear as a white cast even indoors. The appearance, softness, suppleness, and smoothness are completely different from ordinary mohair raw hair. "I really want to introduce this with my own hands and show it to everyone." "The world is full of surprises and emotions." I thought so from the bottom of my heart.
And I decided to have the fabric made with "2/64 thread" of "100% Ferreira mohair". When I went to Kuzuri Keori, I asked him to produce with Ferreira Mohair. It's hard to say this myself, but of course, it's the first time for a select shop. However, it was difficult from there. Well, not me, but Kaori Kuzuri.
As I mentioned earlier, the 100% mohair fabric (woven fabric) is an image for spring and summer, isn't it? The reason is the same as I wrote earlier. But now, the season is winter. Originally, I was aiming for this period. So, even if you make fabrics that are very breathable for spring and summer, you won't be able to wear them now. In addition, the "Ferreira Mohair" fabric woven by Kuzuri Keori has already been distributed as a special fabric in the tailor-made suit market. That's not what I was aiming for as an ideal. The world is overflowing with clothes, and our store also stocks collections, so I wanted to make something with "creative value".
That's why I aimed for a fabric that "nobody has ever met". But that was an extremely difficult hurdle. First, in order to clearly convey what was in my head to Mr. Keori Kuzuri, I told him the numerical values that measure the weight of the fabric, the "structure of the fabric" and the "metsuke". However, I was immediately told that the hurdles were very high. I told you, "fabric structure" and "weight". "I want you to make it with 'plain weave' and '500 or more'." The plain weave is because I really like the plain weave of woolen fabric. I have already written about it on this blog. Metsuke 500 or more is the figure for heavy outerwear in winter. yes. It's super difficult. Think casually. Because raw mohair has a fineness of fiber that does not exist other than Ferreira mohair, and it is the highest quality in the mohair world. The fibers are thin, and the fabric is too smooth and too high quality, so I have never made something with such a structure with such a numerical value. He said.
However, Mr. Kuzutani of Kuzuri Keori told me that it was "very difficult" to find such an ideal fabric for me, but he said, "It's really worth trying." Now that the fabric has been completed and the time to show it to everyone is close at hand, I feel like crying as I write this while remembering it. smile
A super prestigious weaving shop that Japan is proud of has accepted the request of a regional select shop. Also, the only weaving shop in Japan that can handle Ferreira mohair tried something that had never been made before. At that time, through the designer of the brand I went with, I heard about the production situation of Kuzuri Keori from time to time, but I received many reports that "it is extremely difficult". But I've also heard they're making progress. Time passes, one summer day. Sample completed. I was informed.
Then Kuzuri Keori sent us a sample fabric. . . It was crazy good fabric. With unprecedented smoothness, resilience unique to plain weave, and natural luster, no matter how you look at it, you can instantly feel that it is a high-quality fabric. However, there was only one thing missing. It's "eyes". I remember this time very well.
I talked directly to the craftsman over the phone, but he said that this was the "limit" of this organization. "Limit" Because the raw material is too fine, the thread slips in the loom during weaving, and the density cannot be increased. In addition, 2/64 mohair is incredibly thin, so even if you try to increase the basis weight, it is difficult at present.
I just told you to think about what you think from there. I was told that through the designer. After that, the craftsman said, "Let me do another presentation." My heart trembles. It's the language of the soul. Then wait, another few months. Finally, it was sunny and completed. A special fabric woven by Kuzuri Keori at our shop CASANOVA&CO. That's it.
The texture of the fabric is very crisp and stands out clearly. 100% Ferreira mohair fabric has a spectacular smoothness and luster. I am sure that anyone who sees this will instantly feel the magnificence of the real thing.
Mr. Kuzutani of Kuzuri Keori said, "We have created something that has never been seen before." Seriously, seriously, it's a fabric that makes the ultra-hyper soul tremble. The fabric this time is, The thread is called 2/64. However, in order to increase the basis weight, the warp and weft are made by twisting 64 count two-ply yarn and 64 count two-ply yarn. 4 PLY. In other words, it was composed of four threads of 2/64 × 2/64.
Furthermore, in order to increase the basis weight, a "modified plain weave structure" called "Nanakoori" is used. This is twice as much as the plain weave, where the warp and weft alternately rise and fall. It is an organization that rises and falls with "two by one". On top of that, the design is "double woven warp". In other words, they developed a fabric called "transverse double flat deformation structure" = "matte double cloth". The "plain weave" and "metsuke" that I requested as my ideal. Plain weave is in the form of "flat deformation structure". The basis weight was realized with an astonishing figure of "581g". In the first place, the reason why the plain weave was so good is because we wanted to make the best use of the elasticity of the mohair fibers.
And "metsuke" is calculated based on the weight of 1m of woolen fabric. The width of the wool fabric is generally 150cm or 155cm. This matte double cloth is 150cm wide. 1m x 150cm weighs 581g. However, one meter of clothing can only be made up of a slightly larger pair of trunks, so I use 2 meters or even more than 3 meters for many things. Simply thinking about it, I think that the weight of one suit can be considered. And the fabric price per 1m has become unbelievable. smile
I was talking to the designers of various brands that I talk to a lot on a daily basis, and they were very surprised at the unit price per meter. Lol However, in the suit market, "Ferreira Mohair" is distributed in Japan as a special fabric, but it is all around 300g. According to Mr. Kuzutani, the raw material is so thin that you would never think of using normal mohair.
However, instead of that, the fabric this time is "the world's best mohair fiber" and "weaved with super weight". However, it is not just a matter of making the basis weight heavy, but because we have such super high-quality raw materials designed in such a way, we will deliver "overwhelming benefits" to everyone.
As mentioned above, there are 4 warps of 2/64 x 2/64. The coloring is deep navy. The weft is also 4 threads of 2/64 x 2/64, just like the warp. Coloring is brown. Regarding 4PLY, the two-ply x two-ply yarn is called "cord twist". And the combination of colors is the most symbolic coloring of Kuzuri Keori in the history of more than 100 years.
When I saw the real thing, I was stunned. The number of warp threads for "Heddle threading", which I wrote in the previous blog, is 4320. However, the total number of warps is 8640, which is quite a lot, because it is based on "cord twisting" of two-ply yarn and two-ply yarn.
Because it is a thin and long super raw material, it is supple and has a surprising luster. And incredibly smooth. However, by adding "cord-twisted double cloth basket weave" to it, a spectacular repulsive force is produced. I hope that this cosmic level of resilience will be carved into the history of mankind.
I believe that everyone reading this blog has created a fabric that they have never seen before. It is a super moving white thing.
And this. microscope. It's already a demon-like structure that can be seen with the naked eye, but the thread density, tightness, and little fluff are amazing. As I wrote earlier, each warp and weft consists of four threads. In the photo of the microscope, what looks like a single thread is "four cord-twisted threads".
And, partly due to the "slanted weave", the ultra design is that in one weave, a total of eight threads are alternately exposed in terms of single threads. This was an unprecedented challenge for Mr. Keori Kuzuri, even though he struggled. In any case, the hurdles were high, and even Mr. Kuzuri Keori, who has a tremendously high level of skill, apparently had a lot of unexpected weaving scratches after the finishing process. They took a lot of time to face each other, but even so, everything did not go smoothly.
Furthermore, when enlarged, a thread that looks like a "tug-of-war rope". In terms of yarn design, spinning is usually a "Z-twist", so when making two-ply yarns, it is twisted with an "S-twist" to bring out the fullness of the Ferreira mohair. Finally, when making "cord twist", on the contrary, "Z twist" to tighten the whole. By doing so, while it is a heavy fabric, it is designed to maximize the potential of the Ferreira mohair material. Anyway, there is very little fuzz, and no matter how you look at it under a microscope, the threads and the fabric are well-balanced, making it a really wonderful fabric.
Kuzuri Keori is the only company in the world that can achieve such a finish while making full use of old Schonherr looms from 90 years ago.
The time will come soon for you to see this fabric. And I used this fabric to make clothes. The brand that taught me about the existence of such a fiber called "Ferreira Mohair". With Mr. Yamauchi from "Yamauchi", I made three kinds of clothes that I would like everyone to see.
Continue. . .