Vol.35 First business trip to Imabari

Last week was so busy that I wasn't able to update my blog...

Recently, my days have been hectic as I prepare samples for SS22, prepare for in-season collaborations, and go on business trips.

There's a reason why I'm so busy.

Actually, our pattern designer was in a traffic accident at the end of May and was hospitalized for a month.

Fortunately, my life was not in danger, but my injuries were quite serious and I was hospitalized for a full month.

It was beautifully broken in half, so it looks like it will heal nicely.

Either way, I want him to return to the office soon.

So, motorcyclists and drivers alike, please be careful when driving and enjoy a better motoring life.

This introduction has been quite long, but this time I went on my first business trip to Shikoku, so I would like to write about it.

It's been since junior high school since I last went to Shikoku.

Moreover, my only memory is canoeing down the Shimanto River, so I would say that my time in Shikoku was almost nonexistent.

We arrived just at lunchtime and were treated to some udon noodles.

Unlike Kagawa udon, it has a firm core but a soft surface.

I'm from Kyushu, so I prefer softer udon, but I really liked Ehime udon.

Apparently Ehime people are impatient, so many restaurants have oden at the entrance.

After the meal, we were given a tour of every corner of the factory.

There are machines that apply glue to the thread, machines that wind beams, double beam looms, power looms which are quite rare even in towel shops, and more.

It's hard to tell from the photo, so please watch the video.

This is the beam being wound.

It must be quite a task just to thread all this.

It looks like an excavator, but with a rolled up beam.

Whenever I see a jacquard loom, I think it must be really hard work.

As mentioned in the video, the upper beam is loose and the lower beam is taut.

This was also my first time seeing this machine.

It appears to be a machine that applies glue to thread, but this is usually done by a thread maker.

Apparently there are some threads that yarn makers just can't glue, so this factory glues them in-house.

If you look upwards, you will see that unlike a normal jacquard loom, the threads extend radially.

The width of the towel is determined by the width of this top.

It's a bit of art.

What really surprised me was the Jacquard power loom.

Jacquard is made by creating patterns that fit into holes in a board-like thick paper called monshi.

These days, computer jacquard, which connects a PC to a loom for data processing, has become mainstream, so it is not seen very often anymore.

The actual photo looks like this.

It seems that there are fewer factories making monshi these days, and it seems that you have to wait six months to a year to get one.

Of course, it is not possible to transmit the data to a power loom, so if you were to make towels using a power loom, it would take a year to complete the process.

That is how valuable this loom is.

Unlike modern high-speed looms, the fabric is woven slowly over a long period of time, incorporating air, resulting in a soft and fluffy finished fabric.

This is not limited to pile looms; the same phenomenon occurs on denim looms as well.

Denim power looms are looms that weave a fabric called selvedge.

This also produces a soft finish, which is why we take the time to use old looms.

Some people think that denim is good simply because it has selvedge, but that's a big mistake.

The director was talking about how pile power looms that are still in existence and in active use are quite rare.

When I arrived at the factory it wasn't running, but the factory manager went out of his way to get it running.

I still love the sound of a power loom no matter when I hear it.

Apparently, once you become a craftsman, you can tell the condition of the loom by the sound it makes.

I remember when I went to choose a denim loom, I was told that this loom worked well and should be the one, so I chose it.

If we don't take good care of our craftsmen, we won't be able to make good products in Japan in the future.

I can see you saying this forever.

Based on your explanation, I have placed an order for samples for next fiscal year.

I can't give out any details yet, but I'm sure it will produce a great fabric.

We will be participating in RAKUTEN FASHION WEEK TOKYO at the end of August, so we would like to show off the finished fabric then.

I slacked off on blogging last week so I'll update it again this week.

And finally, the KENKEN collaboration T-shirts will be released.

We will also be counting down on social media, so please check out our online shop.

See you later!

NORI