With the concept of "design for materials" in mind, we have been working with producers to research the ideal state of materials in clothing production.
In the midst of this, organic cotton has been a material we've continuously used since the brand's re-establishment in 2016.
Today, "sustainable thinking" is highly valued, and organic has naturally become a familiar term in our daily lives.

First, what exactly is organic cotton?

Typically, cotton cultivation, like other plants and crops, uses large quantities of chemicals.
Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, and antimicrobial agents are used before sowing seeds.
Herbicides are used to prevent weed growth, and insecticides are used for pest control.
For cotton, since the bolls contain cotton, defoliants are used to make the bolls fall to the ground.
Cotton fields account for only 2.5% of the world's cultivated land, yet they are said to use about 16% of the world's insecticides.
There are also suspicions that these pesticides used in cotton cultivation may be carcinogenic.

In contrast, organic cotton uses organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, and is harvested by hand or by waiting for natural leaf fall, without the use of defoliants.
Furthermore, the harvested cotton is spun and woven into fabric with minimal use of chlorine bleach and other chemicals.
While genetically modified cotton seeds are widely used in modern mass production, organic cotton refers to cotton grown without these, and processed into products with the least possible use of chemicals.

 

Organic cotton also places great importance on the working conditions of its producers.
Even in transactions with economic disparities, fair business practices are upheld, such as fair pricing, guaranteed purchase for a certain period, and consideration for workers' health, income, and children's education, ensuring the producers' livelihoods are protected and social responsibility is met. (This is called Fair Trade.)
*The standards and criteria for certifying "organic cotton" vary slightly depending on the certifying organizations and churches.

This ethical thinking is an important background that we emphasize when developing materials, and it is a major point we intend to focus on even more in the future.

 

 

Beyond this background, our reason for using organic cotton lies in the texture of the material.

Spun cotton yarn has fibers protruding like branches, and those with long staple lengths, like super long-staple cotton, tend to have fewer fibers on the surface, giving them a lustrous and supple characteristic, positioning them as luxury materials due to their elegant appearance.
Conversely, organic cotton has shorter staple lengths, and fibers protrude visibly from the yarn. Thanks to these short staple lengths, the fabric surface appears fuzzy, giving it a soft, enveloping feel when touched.

 

Especially for cut-and-sewn items like T-shirts, we have dedicated time to leveraging the texture of organic cotton even further through knitting, with the wisdom and skill of knitting mill artisans.
By adjusting the knitting speed and gauge (density) to maximize the yarn's characteristics, we are able to use what we consider our best material at present.
For the 2020 Autumn/Winter collection, we used the same yarn knitted in a high gauge to create short-sleeved and long-sleeved T-shirts with a sturdy yet substantial feel, while still offering fuzziness and smoothness.

Our relentless pursuit of materials can be said to be for the profound sensation that makes you unable to part with the garment once you put it on.