JELADO Manufacturing ~Vintage Wool~ Vol.1 "Vintage wool revived in modern times"
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~Part 1: From "spinning" to "weaving"~
For a brand that develops products based on "AMERICAN VINTAGE," products that use wool as a fabric are difficult to reproduce in a way that differs from denim and leather products.
This is because the barriers to commercialization are very high, including the fact that wool itself was valuable more than half a century ago, and wool was often reused at the time of spinning, making it difficult to analyze the fabric, and the fact that the machines used to weave the fabric are rare around the world and there are few people who can maintain them in the first place. Furthermore, even if these barriers are overcome, the problem of the product price skyrocketing cannot be ignored.
This time, in three parts, we will cover the production process to reveal how JELADO has been able to create wool that is so close to “AMERICAN VINTAGE,” why they are so particular about realism, and why they are able to release products at current prices.
Bishu, one of the world's three major woolen textile production areas
"Oshu" is the old name for the area that now covers the western part of Aichi Prefecture and the southwestern part of Gifu Prefecture. It is known as one of the three major woolen textile production areas in the world, along with Huddersfield in the UK and Biella in Italy. This area is blessed with the water sources of the Kiso River, Nagara River, and Ibi River, and fabric production has been taking place here since the Yayoi period. Wool textile production began in the area during the Meiji period, when wool imports began in earnest to meet the domestic demand for military uniforms. Why are products made in Oshu so highly regarded both at home and abroad? The reason is that all processes, from spinning, twisting, dyeing, weaving, knitting, and finishing, are completed within the area, and Oshu itself is established as a factory. The skills of each professional, accumulated over more than a century, and the close cooperation between them have produced woolen textiles of a quality that is not found in other areas, or to be more precise, cannot be found anywhere else.
As JELADO brings vintage items back to life in the modern era, the person who supported the direction of the fabric was Mitsuzaki, the representative of Hinode Boseki, a company that has established a solid reputation in Bishu and continues to make products in the good old days even in 2018. The process of creating the fabric starts with the numerous vintage samples that JELADO owns, and the huge number of fabric samples made in the 19th and 20th centuries from all over the world that Hinode Boseki owns. Once the base vintage is decided, the precious vintage is actually cut up and the fabric is analyzed together with professionals in each production process to reproduce the manufacturing methods of the time.
It takes about 2 to 5 months from planning to completing the test sample, since they make at least two samples. There are few apparel manufacturers in the world that are able to incorporate such a huge amount of cost into their products. This is because the attention to detail is directly reflected in the unit price of the product. JELADO solves this problem by simply ordering a large amount of fabric and using it for products. Mitsuzaki says, "We have seen many different fabrics, and I think that wool is extremely difficult to reproduce vintage. This is because there are too many techniques that have been lost around the world compared to other genres. Here in Bishu, there are fewer and fewer factories that can respond to orders like JELADO's, so I think that JELADO's existence is very important in terms of preserving the techniques that have been passed down throughout Bishu."
Now, let's take a look at the process of how the wool fabric produced by JELADO and Hinode Textile, using rare techniques that remain today, is made.
STEP 1 "Spinning"
The first place we visited was Mikawa Wool. This is the factory where spinning, the first step in making fabric and the process that has a large impact on the final product, is done, i.e., making the yarn. Wool is divided into worsted yarn, which is made from long, thin wool and is mainly used for suits, and worsted yarn, which is made from short wool to make thicker wool. JELADO is requesting worsted yarn, which is easy to brush and has excellent heat retention, just like vintage wool. The factory spins in all kinds of cases, and is a long-established company in Bishu that is known for "making yarn from any wool." Incidentally, there are only about 20 factories left in Japan that can manufacture worsted yarn.
The difficulty of recreating vintage wool
According to Mikawa Bomou's president, Hamatani, the most difficult part of recreating vintage wool is analyzing the fabric.
"More than half a century ago, wool fabrics were rare, so wool often contains recycled wool at the spinning stage. Therefore, to revive it in modern times, we must first find out what color and where the wool originated and how much of each wool is contained in the base wool, down to the nearest 1%. We analyze the wool by looking at the location and era of production, and then we make a guess, but it's a tremendous task (laughs). In particular, detailed orders like JELADO's are difficult, but for us, it's also where we can differentiate ourselves technically, so it's exciting," says Hamatani. As you can see from the photo, the finished product is simply "brown," but in reality, various wools are mixed in detail. This becomes even more complicated when recreating vintage.
How wool yarn is made
The process of making wool is mainly divided into four steps: "blending," in which the wool is selected and evenly blended, opened, and blended oil is added; "carding," in which the blended wool is rotated on rollers to create an even mille-feuille-like wool film and turned into fiber bundles called "shino," "spinning," in which the shino is twisted in a mule spinning machine to make yarn; and "winding," in which the yarn coming out of the mule is wound into pieces of about 4kg size to make it easier to weave or knit.
In today's world where spinning methods using ring spinning machines that twist and wind at the same time are mainstream, the advantage of using a mule spinning machine, which has low production efficiency, is that it allows for blending of many different types of wool, and the finished product is soft and fluffy, like vintage. This technology, which is disappearing all over the world, is in full operation here like a fish in water. It was a mysterious space.
"If we stopped, the product would disappear from the market. I feel a heavy responsibility for that."
Mr. Hamatani, the representative of Mikawa Bomou, had this to say:
"What we've been doing ever since the beginning is just trying to make good quality products. The quality of communication is very important in the manufacturing field, so although we only have Japanese employees, our only concern is how to pass on the 'coolness of manufacturing' to the younger generation. If we stop doing this, there will definitely be an increase in the number of products that cannot be made again... That's why we're really happy when apparel manufacturers place orders with the desire to make good products."
STEP 2 "Dyeing"
Leaving Mikawa Boumo behind, we headed to Chasen Dyeing Factory. This is where they literally dye spun yarn to any color you want. This factory is highly regarded in the industry for its ability to produce exquisite colors without compromising the texture of the yarn when creating vintage-inspired products.
Dyeing process
The first step is to mix the colors. Numerous dyes are mixed in small beakers, and the process of dyeing the yarn is repeated many times. An important point to note here is that although the final confirmation of the color is left to the appropriate judging agency, the apparel manufacturer, skilled craftsmen at the dyeing factory actually "visually" adjust the colors. It is extremely difficult to put into words the expression of the colors of the vintage samples that they see. It is a process that requires an enormous amount of time and cannot be accomplished without a certain level of knowledge about vintage items.
After the color mixing and adjustment is complete, the process of dyeing a large amount of thread finally begins, but it is said to be an extremely difficult task to mix the color in a beaker at several dozen or even several hundred times the amount. Since the color changes depending on the temperature and humidity of the day and place, this is where the craftsman's experience is put to full use.
After that, the yarn is finally put into the kiln and begins the dyeing process. In the case of the thick wool yarn used by JELADO, a method called skein dyeing is used, in which the kiln temperature is at most 100°C, but this method can dye a maximum of 200kg at a time. Although it is becoming less common in today's manufacturing industry, where efficiency is of the utmost importance, skein dyeing, which produces a fluffy finish with less color unevenness, is an essential method for recreating vintage wool, unlike cheese dyeing, which is finished at high pressure at 130°C. After dyeing, the yarn is dried for about 1.5 hours and then sent to the factory where the weaving process takes place.
STEP 3 "Weaving"
The weaving process is where the threads are woven into fabric. Just like the spinning and dyeing processes, this is where analog work, which has become rare on a global level, awaits. This is one of the few factories in Japan that has a jacquard loom capable of weaving the large pattern blankets that JELADO is requesting.
Weaving process
The first step in weaving on a Jacquard loom is to wind the warp threads onto the bobbin. This takes a full day, and then another full day to set up the 1 warp threads on the loom, and the setup is finally almost complete. By the way, even if this loom were available, there are apparently very few people in Japan who can do this setup work.
After the threads are attached, the "pattern paper," which is the most distinctive feature of the Jacquard loom, is set in. The pattern paper has 1152 x 1400 holes punched into it, and this is how each pattern, about 1cm in size, is created.
After all this, the loom can finally be put to work, but even if the loom is in good condition, it can only weave about 1 meters of fabric in a day. One factor that could be cited is that the loom itself frequently stops when the warp thread breaks or the weft thread runs out, but the biggest reason is the weaving speed. To achieve a plump texture like vintage fabric, it is essential to run the loom at a slow speed. In addition, in this case, the thread wound on the bobbin itself is thick, which probably also contributes to the fact that it needs to be replaced sooner.
The average age of the craftsmen at this factory is 70, with the youngest in his 60s. What will happen to wool fabric production in Japan when they announce their retirement? To be honest, we don't know how many more years we can continue with the current system, but we will ask them to continue making good products until the very last moment. That is the JELADO way.
lastly……
In many cases, apparel manufacturers produce product samples at the start of the season, and judge whether to actually commercialize them based on the number of orders placed at the exhibition. In other words, even if samples are made, some items are "dropped" and do not actually go on the production line.
Meanwhile, from this interview, you can probably guess why JELADO has consistently never "dropped" a product since its founding in 2004, and has always commercialized the samples it makes. To put it simply, it is because they have an immeasurable respect for the pride and effort of the many people who are involved in the production of samples over a huge amount of time, measured in months and years. This is why they take responsibility for their own projects and carry them out to the end. It is a simple and clear philosophy.
In the next issue, we will introduce the process by which woven fabric is completed as a product. Please look forward to it!
<Text by Kobo Tagata, Photos by Sawada Seiji>
~The second "Finishing Process" When Fabric Comes to Life~click here
This jacket is made from revived vintage wool.click here