The current state of Japanese garment factories and what we need to do

According to the "Current Status and Policies of the Textile Industry" published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in May 2024, the import penetration rate in 2022 will be 98.5% (domestic manufacturing ratio is 1.5%).
The domestic manufacturing ratio, which was about 50% 30 years ago, has fallen by 95%, and the number of apparel sewing factories is steadily decreasing.

We Factelier run our business with the desire to change this situation and revitalize Japan's factories.
Here, we will talk about the current situation in Japanese sewing factories, the challenges we faced during our on-site visits, and the solutions we used.

Source: Current status and policies of the textile industry (May 2024, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Life Products Division)

The percentage of domestically manufactured apparel in Japan has declined dramatically over the past 30 years, falling from 50% in 1991 to just 1.5% today.

The main factor behind this dramatic change is the expansion of trading companies and brands into China, as well as Vietnam, Bangladesh and Myanmar, where production can be done at low cost.

According to the Japan Research Institute, Limited's "FY2021 Survey Report on the State of Manufacturing Base Technologies (Survey on the Domestic and International Textile Industry)," compared to 2010, the number of establishments has decreased in all of Japan's 28 production areas except for Chita (increased from 7 companies to 9 companies).
When I saw these statistics, I felt like I was being shown vividly the serious situation facing Japan's garment factories.

It is not easy for factories to survive, as they are unable to hire young workers and the workforce is aging, and they are facing difficult situations such as rising energy and material prices and wage increases (many factories pay minimum wage).

Due to the decline in manufacturing, the unique techniques that Japan has built up over the years, such as Kurume kasuri, Kiryu silk textiles, Gosen knitwear in Niigata, and Kurashiki jeans in Okayama, are at risk of being lost.

Additionally, garment factories are workplaces where many women work, and the closure of a factory brings to light the social issue of many women losing their jobs.

From here on, I would like to introduce the difficult situation we have actually faced as factories are disappearing.

We have been working with Red River Co., Ltd., located in the Kojima area of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, on the product development of "stain-repellent cotton pants." The Kojima area is known worldwide as the "holy land of jeans," and is Firstname for its advanced processing technology.

We have been working with Red River to develop stain-resistant jeans using our own processing technology. These stain-repellent white jeans are made using a technique called "post-processing." First, we make white cotton pants, then soak them in a special dye and put them through a unique drying process to give them stain-repellent properties.

After more than 100 prototypes since 2016, the product was finally successfully commercialized in 2018.

【Animation】
[Okayama, Kojima] Dirt-repellent white pants, they really won't get dirty?! Let's go to the factory

It was patented in 2019, and its powerful bounce was certified by a public institution. It has been featured in many media outlets and has become a big hit.

However, in the midst of the uncertain future caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, Red River Co., Ltd.'s President Ogino decided to close the sewing factory. In order to continue the business, he asked a local bank to find a buyer (M&A), but unfortunately, with all the factories facing difficult business situations, no buyer was found, and they ultimately decided to discontinue their sewing operations.

After that, production of these "stain-free cotton pants" was taken over by Koritsu Co., Ltd., which is also located in the Kojima area. Koritsu, who had been involved in part of the production from before, was on friendly terms with Red River's President Ogino, and readily agreed. We asked President Ogino to supervise for a certain period of time, and somehow production was resumed. However, it took more than a year for the pants to be released.

Going forward, we will continue to cherish the manufacturing process in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, as the mecca for jeans, and will continue our efforts to pass on the unique techniques of this region to the future without any regrets.

■Product page:Stain-free cotton pants

"Pants that make sitting comfortable" were jointly developed by Factelier and the sports brand Descente.

Survey results have shown that Japanese people spend the most time sitting in the world, so how to make this time sitting more comfortable has become an important issue.

Factelier focused on this issue and aimed to provide a more comfortable lifestyle by developing pants that reduce stress when sitting.

Applying the 3D pattern and sewing techniques used in baseball uniforms at the Descente Apparel Muraoka Factory, we designed a unique 3D pattern for when sitting down.
These pants maintain the clean silhouette of business wear while also being comfortable to sit in. For example, the hem doesn't ride up, so you can maintain a beautiful silhouette whether you're standing or sitting.

These "pants that make sitting comfortable" became an explosive hit, due in part to people spending more time sitting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Descente Muraoka factory is scheduled to close in 2023, putting this popular product in danger of being discontinued. In response, Factelier decided to find a factory that could produce the product and to independently improve the patterns, etc.

Nankai Clothing, located in Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture, is one of our affiliated factories with the technical expertise to produce pants, such as golf wear and women's pants.

Factelier asked Nankai Clothing for cooperation, and after more than 10 rounds of prototypes, they finally completed the "Pants that make sitting comfortable/All Days," which surpasses their previous product, "Pants that make sitting comfortable."

This new model further improves on the previous model's excellent comfort and perfectly meets the needs of modern people who spend a lot of time sitting.

Factelier aims to continue to utilize Japanese sewing techniques and provide high-quality products to make consumers' lives more comfortable.

■Factory introduction:Nankai Garments

Burns Factory Co., Ltd., based in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, was founded in 2010. It is attracting attention as a rare factory in Tokyo that performs all of its sewing and knitting processes in-house.

The predecessor, Burns Co., Ltd., had sewing facilities in Nerima, Tokyo and knitting facilities in Osaka, but the company made a new start with the aim of completing both knitting and sewing processes in-house.

One of Burns Factory's distinctive technologies is "Twin Prabber Seam (TPS) sewing."
This technique eliminates seams by joining fabric together and creates a flat finish, making it possible to produce thin, comfortable coats and jackets. It was one of Factelier 's most popular items.

In 2015, Burns Factory received investment from Soto Co., Ltd., a company based in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, and became a group company. Soto is a historic dyeing and processing company founded in 1923, and it was hoped that this capital alliance would stabilize Burns Factory's management base.

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the entire apparel industry was hit hard.
Burns Factory was no exception, and sales of apparel products in particular fell sluggish. We ordered over 30,000 anti-viral filter masks from Factelier, who produced them for us.

However, in 2022, sales of apparel products continued to be sluggish, and the factory was eventually closed. As a result, Burns Factory Co., Ltd. changed Firstname to J Fabric International Co., Ltd. and is now shifting its business to planning and selling fabrics.

It's a shame, because among the many factories I visited, sewing factories with specialized skills like Burns Factory were a rare find.

We felt that we were powerless to provide sufficient support despite being in a position to protect production sites, and we would like to develop flexible planning capabilities that will please our consumers, no matter what the situation, and strengthen our support to protect sewing factories.

TAKEYARI Co., Ltd., Ltd. is a long-established weaving factory founded in Kurashiki in 1888.
Since 2015, Factelier has produced and sold over 20 canvas bags, with popular items including a six-pocket tote bag made from Takeyari canvas.

When you visit the factory, you will be amazed to see thick cotton canvas being slowly woven on old-fashioned shuttle looms, which make a heavy, humming noise.

Since its founding, Takeyari has gained a reputation for its Kokura-woven tabi and hakama fabrics, and received a commendation from Prince Naruhito at the 5th Domestic Industrial Exposition.

In the latter half of the Meiji era, the company started producing cotton canvas, which is its current main product, and in 1950, it partnered with Kuraray Co., Ltd. to begin full-scale production of synthetic canvas. They skillfully utilized both old and new looms and had the technology to weave any type of canvas.

The transition from hand weaving to innovative looms is the history of Japan's weaving factories itself, and Takeyari is known for its tough "No. 2 canvas" that can only be woven by the company.

This No. 2 canvas is mainly used as a base fabric for conveyor belts and other factory products and materials, and because of its thickness, Takeyari is the only company in Japan that can weave No. 2. The sight of the weft threads being woven into the warp threads is very impressive, and the fast-moving shuttle makes a loud noise.

This machine is operated by a skilled craftsman, who immediately detects any slight abnormality and controls the machine to ensure that fabric continues to be produced 24 hours a day. Since the machine and human eyes are used to ensure correct production, careful manufacturing with attention to detail is possible.

Unfortunately, Takeyari will close its canvas business in January 2023. The factory site has been sold to Toyota Corolla Okayama, but Takeyari fabric production is not over completely. The machinery has been moved and production will continue at Marushin Kogyo (Kurashiki Canvas), a family-run company.

Factelier plans to continue working with Marushin Kogyo to produce canvas bags.

As such, Japanese sewing factories and production areas, while possessing a long history and unique techniques, are facing the current harsh economic situation and fluctuations in demand. However, they continue to protect their traditions and quality through the succession of techniques and new cooperative relationships.

■Factory introduction:Kurashiki Canvas

These are just the tip of the iceberg, and there are daily discussions at manufacturing sites in Japan about whether they will close down tomorrow. Firstname believe there is still more that can be done to preserve the factories that are hidden away and have amazing techniques and traditions.

I have visited over 700 Japanese apparel factories to date. My family business is a clothing store that has been in business for 100 years, so I grew up surrounded by Japanese-made clothes and have experienced firsthand the high quality of those clothes.

When I was 20 years old, I studied abroad in France and experienced the European culture of respecting craftsmanship through my experience working in sales at Gucci. I was impressed by the fact that world-famous brands such as Gucci, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton all started out as workshops.

The number of factories in Japan has been steadily declining in recent years, but I founded Factelier in 2012 to change this situation.

As a Made in Japan factory-direct fashion brand, Factelier aims to discover the unique techniques of factories and develop convenient products that will delight customers.

We believe that it is most cost-effective to buy quality clothes that can be worn for a long time, rather than cheap fast fashion items that you won't be able to wear next year.

This premium 100% cotton dress t-shirt uses smooth, long-fiber cotton for the ultimate comfort.
By twisting the threads together so that their cross-sections are round, the fabric is less likely to lose its shape or wrinkle, and wrinkles are reduced even after washing.
Specially ordered yarn and special processing have resulted in a one-of-a-kind fabric. The surface of the yarn is burned with gas to remove fuzz, resulting in a smooth feel and luxurious luster.

The Air Blouson is a popular item from Factelier, manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd., a company with approximately 100 years of know-how in making sportswear.

The fabric used, NOBILUZA®, is specially knitted and processed to achieve high stretchability without the use of polyurethane, so there is no need to worry about deterioration over time.
The fabric has a three-layer structure with hollow spaces that make it lightweight and breathable, plus it's wrinkle-resistant, so it stays nice and clean even when folded and put in your bag.

The fabric is made from 100% cotton knitted fabric that has been specially processed and compressed at the Morishita Meriyasu Factory in Wakayama Prefecture. It has a firmness and stiffness that you wouldn't expect from cotton, and has the same high-quality and luxurious feel as high-end suit fabric.

The hood stands up three-dimensionally thanks to its firmness, giving it a masculine look from any angle.

The back of the zipper has a "face cover" that gives an elegant impression even when the zipper is open. In addition, a leather pull tab is used at the end of the zipper, making it easy to open and close and giving it a luxurious feel. The double zipper allows you to adjust the opening.

We adopt the "factory suggested price" approach and work with factories to create and sell "products with unique value" that make customers want to buy them even if they are expensive.
This allows the factory to return more profit than ever before.

The exploitative structure of price reduction requests (cost pressure) that has existed in the brand business to date is not sustainable for the future, and will not produce good results for either factories or brands in the long term.

To that end, it is important for us to create products that can only be purchased here, rather than those that can be bought elsewhere, and we will strive to offer fair prices, based on the premise that our products offer value that exceeds their price.

We value disclosing Firstname of our factory and making factory information public, so our customers can trust us with repairs and other services.

Until now, the fashion industry has prioritized "brand Firstname" and factory information has been kept secret. However, by disclosing the factory Firstname, the craftsmen have felt a sense of pride and are now able to produce even better products.

▲ Successors of each factory at the 2019 Monozukuri Cultural Festival

The apparel industry is facing an aging workforce and a serious shortage of young craftsmen and employees. While skilled craftsmen retire, the training of young workers is not keeping up, making it difficult to pass on skills. At the same time, successors themselves sometimes have doubts about the future of the industry, making it difficult to maintain motivation.

For this reason, we hold an event called the Monozukuri Culture Festival once a year for the next generation of successors. The purpose is to build horizontal connections (with those of the same generation) and vertical connections (with senior managers) to break away from traditional management styles and build the overall strength to compete with products made with cheap labor from overseas.

Fashion trends change very quickly, so we need the ability to adapt flexibly to those changes. At the same time, we need to use environmentally friendly production methods and materials, so we believe that knowledge sharing and sustainable management are essential.

Factelier will continue to produce high-quality Japanese-made clothing in order to help revitalize Japan's sewing factories.
We will grow together with the factories and strive to build a sustainable fashion industry from Japan.

We appreciate your sympathy for our challenge.