A fusion of tradition and innovation

innovation

by Victor Chesky

Japan is the third largest economy after the USA and China. What differentiates it is a long history with wool and an appreciation by Japanese consumers for wool products. It was the first country to embrace wool for its excellent environmental credentials, and the importance of the traceability story that would grab consumer curiosity. In 1879 Japan opened the first government-operated woolen factory in Tokyo, effectively setting in motion the forerunner to it modern wool textile manufacturing industry. Private companies started operating from 1896 following a government import tax exemption for Australian wool. Japan’s main wool production was focused on orders for uniforms and blankets for the military and police.

The Japanese wool industry peaked in the early 1970s. In 1972, about 370,000 tonnes of wool was imported. At that time, Japan was one of the largest importers of wool worldwide. Most of the imported wool was used for the manufacture of textiles for export and knitted yarn to the USA.

At that time the Japan Wool Industry Association had over 383 member companies, and only from the wool spinning sector. In addition there were a number of wool merchants and dye companies that were affiliated to other associations. The current membership of the Japan Wool Industry Association is 87 and 28 wool spinning companies. The membership includes trading companies that handle raw wool, wool spinners, major woolen fabric manufacturers, and dyeing and trading companies that specialize in woolen fabrics and knits.

The Association is the peak body for the wool industry in Japan and is the country’s only member organization to the IWTO. It provides educational activities to convey the value of wool and is focused on supporting its members. It also works closely

Shinichi Ichii (centre) Managing Director of Japan Wool Industry Association with staff members from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

with government ministries and departments.

Japan is to host IWTO Congress in Kyoto in May 2021. At the time of going to print it is still unclear whether this will proceed as planned due to the impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions. Shinichi Ichii, Managing Director of Japan Wool Industry Association, is based in Osaka. He remarks that ‘we continue to promote and support Japanese wool-related companies and contribute to Japanese society through the production of better products. We provide information to our members and assist them in trade negotiations and business development, as well as environmental safety, and research product development’.

In 2018 Japan imported 5,968 tons of tops and 4,710 tons of scoured wool. In 2019 the figures were fairly consistent at 5,776 tons of tops and 4,047 tons of scoured wool. 62% of wool was imported from Australia, 13.2% from New Zealand, 12.8% China and 4.12% from the United Kingdom. Wool was also imported from Belgium, South Africa, and Uruguay. Approximately 70% was used for clothing, 15% for bedding, and 15% for carpet and other products. 2018 import statistics for wool yarn was 6,321 tons, and 3,432 tons of woven fabric.

Today Japan is one of the largest producers of technical textiles. In a global market where cheap textiles have been dominant, Japan has fashioned a reputation for specialised technical and smart high quality textile products. Japan’s textile culture is a fusion of traditionally handdyed work and cutting-edge technologies that give Japanese textiles a unique sensibility of their own. Japanese textiles are highly regarded in European and American high-end fashion business circles. Japan’s climate includes heat and humidity, and moderately cold winters. Japanese textile innovations have accommodated these varying conditions with a diverse range of materials ranging from traditional textiles to synthetic fabrics. It continues to produce new technologies.

Japanese consumers prefer natural fibres, including wool, and this is particularly evident in bedding products for domestic use, and this interest and demand is now growing in popularity in the sportswear and next-to-skin markets.

Eiji Mori, Interior Textile Director at Nagawa Co in Nagoya Japan comments that ‘consumers in Japan are moving toward a more casual style of dress and are moving away from traditional suiting. Sustainability and microplastic pollution is receiving a lot of attention in Japan as well. So, the special properties of wool fit this interest group and therefore wool offers great potential’. Founded in 1954, Nagawa Company has been involved in wool and fine animal fibre trading and garment manufacture. It has a long history in trading with speciality and natural fibres. ‘At Nagawa we are keenly aware of environmental issues and the sustainable. Bio degradable characteristics of wool fibre are a key feature for our textiles products. Our expertise has come down through the generations. Mohair, Alpaca and British wools are a very important part of our raw material procurement, and of course so are Australian and New Zealand wools’, says Eiji Mori.

These views are echoed by Kakutaro Ito of Chugai Kunushima Corporation. ‘In fibre procurement, we are increasingly interested in tracing the wool we buy all the way to the farm. We follow the production chain from farm, including feed, reproduction, shearing, and animal husbandry.’ ‘Innovation is also very important for us’, says Kakutaro Ito. ‘More than 80% of our production uses wool, so it is essential to our overall production. We have a strong belief in the value and strength of wool as a production fibre. Our 2020/2021 Collection is mostly in bespoke suiting, as well as tweeds, coats, and high-fashion textiles, mostly fine Merino - Super 60-100. We pursue more efficient weaving and improvements in fabric texture. To improve accuracy of inspection, we have introduced a mechanical inspection system, and hope this will be a replacement to the human eye into the future’. in textile production: silk in the Heian era; cotton in the Edo era; and wool after the 19th century. Our region developed collaborative systems with many processing mills, controlled by main contractor weaving mills. Each mill is highly specialized and well differentiated, resulting in very sophisticated production techniques and huge variations in textile design’, he comments. Today the global wool production chain is long and complicated.

Images by Nikke Japan

‘We appreciate the leading role that Australian Wool Innovation/ The Woolmark Company plays in promoting the benefits of wool fibre, in Japan and worldwide, and we endeavour to play our part. We would like to build a closer relationship with the wool growers that supply to us. This would improve our ability to convey a story from farm to store. As a garment manufacturer we feel that it is our responsibility to provide traceable information to retail,’ Kakutaro Ito remarks.

The Woolmark Company has been promoting wool in Japan for many years and there are a large number of Woolmark licensees throughout the country. Marmot is the first brand in Japan to use 100% merino wool that is water and wind resistant in such products as long-sleeved tee shirts. Munsingwear and Lanvin Sport, well known golf-wear brands in Japan, have promoted their wool apparel for trousers, skirts, jumpers, and jackets.

Prior to COVID-19 AWI’s marketing arm, The Woolmark Company, hosted seminars to explain the attributes, benefits and versatility of wool to 664 Japanese fashion and textile students in the early stage of their careers, an important component of the AWI strategy. The Woolmark Company already undertakes a comprehensive program of educational seminars to tertiary students including Bunka Fashion Graduate University, Bunka Fashion College, ESMOD Japan and Mode Gakuen. But it now works with two further colleges: PIIF (Professional Institute of International Fashion) and UEDA College of Fashion. The Woolmark Company also carried out its Wool Appreciation Course with 233 PIFF students in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, along with 431 students from Mode Gakuen. According to a Deloitte economic outlook report published in August 2020 given the incredible fiscal and monetary policy responses by Japanese government to the current crisis, Japanese consumers are capable of spending more. Disposable incomes for workers’ households jumped 13.4% from a year earlier in May; furlough schemes kept the unemployment rate below 3%; and central bank purchases have propped up the stock market. At the same time, interest rates and inflation remain low. No one knows for certain what consumer behaviour will be like post COVID-19, but Japan, with a population of over 126.7 million, still has real potential to be a large consumer of wool products, for apparel, bedding, carpet and other textile applications.