JELADO Manufacturing ~Vintage Wool~ Vol.2 "Vintage wool revived in modern times"

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~Part 2: "Finishing process" - When fabric comes to life~

 

 

 "Attention to detail." Its definition is very vague, and sometimes it can be a fragile indicator that is influenced by human sensibility. On the other hand, there are products in the "modern" world that give a glimpse of "attention to detail" even without using such a word.

 

JELADO, whose background is in American Vintage, says:

"We are not recreating a masterpiece, but the emotions we felt at that time."

 

People's thoughts are planned, embodied by people's thoughts, and appear on the streets with people's thoughts. The basis of such manufacturing, where "thoughts" run and "particularity" is a high-level "obviousness." This project will convey the relay of pride woven by a number of professionals representing Japan.

 

This is the second installment of our series, and we will follow the process from "STEP 2 Weaving" (covered in the previous article) to when the blankets woven are neatly arranged and delivered as "fabric." This is the process known in industry as "finishing and processing." Our destination is Soto Co., Ltd., a company with world-class technical capabilities in finishing and processing technology. This is a factory that combines the inheritance of analog techniques, which could be called tradition, that have been cultivated in Bishu, with the development of digital techniques using the latest technology.

 

Come see how the pride in craftsmanship that has been passed down since 12 is shaped in harmony with JELADO's projects.

 

 

STEP.4 "Rope washing"

Once weaving is complete and the blankets are delivered as "fabric," they are sent to a process called "rope washing." The newly woven fabric is stiff to the touch and contains a lot of machine oil and dirt, so these are removed here and the fabric is also kneaded to smooth out the weave. Usually, the only purpose of this process is to wash the fabric, but at this factory, preparations to smooth out the fabric are also made at this stage.

 

 

 

 

"If there is no added value, there is no point in humans doing it."

According to the craftsman, "Even if a machine is used for the work, only humans can add value to all the work. For example, if you remove too much of the wool oil from the fabric, the texture will be damaged too much, and even if it is the same fabric, the time and timing of running the machine and the frequency of changing the washing water are different. Our job is to finish the fabric in perfect condition every time based on that. The desire to create something truly good is our motivation." It has been about 100 years since they started finishing textiles in Oshu. Their pride was alive there.

 

 

 

STEP 5: Dehydration and drying

After the fabric has been washed in the washing process, it is dehydrated and sent to the drying process. It is then put into a machine called a "stenter dryer" where it is dried with hot air and the width of the blanket is standardized. Here again, it is not simply dried, but a resin liquid made with an original recipe is used to give it texture and stiffness. Incidentally, the unit of measurement for the processing equipment in the fabric dyeing and finishing industry is the number of these tenter dryers.

 

 

 

 

STEP 6 "Brushing"

The "raising" process involves using a roll with sharp wires embedded in the fabric to remove the fuzz from the front and back of the fabric. The optimal method and number of times for each fabric is determined after repeated testing using sample fabrics. The specific number of times the fabric was raised in this case is a trade secret, so we cannot disclose it, but the blanket was raised multiple times in this process in a precisely calculated order, with the front and back alternating or one after the other.

 

 

What is surprising is that, for example, when brushing from the front to the back and then back to the front, the seam allowances to connect all the pieces (approximately 25m long) must be undone and then retied each time. When I asked why, I got a pleasantly simple and clear answer: "Because if we prioritize efficiency and do it all at once, the finished product won't be beautiful."

 

 

 

"Our senses, which cannot be seen through numbers, are what drive the machines."

 As the craftsmen say, "The most important thing in this process is the precision of the adjustment of the machine that applies the nap," even if the fabric is the same, conditions change depending on the condition of the delivered lot, so in this world, it seems like there is no data that says "if you do it this way, it will turn out like that." All you can rely on is the past knowledge accumulated over the 100 years since the company was founded and the experience of each craftsman.

 

One interesting thing the craftsman said was, "Japanese-made machines made decades ago are easier to use than the latest Italian-made nap-raising machines, which you can use just by inputting numbers." He said that it's easier to achieve the perfect texture that can't be expressed in numbers by working while watching the fabric being actually nap-raised by turning the handle that adjusts the nap depth.

 

 

 "That's the main reason why we can't put this work process into a manual. There are far too many 'tricks' in each process that only experienced craftsmen can understand when using these machines. We could set certain standards and create a system more suited to mass production, but our pride as craftsmen won't let us do that... To be honest, it would make for poor work efficiency (laughs)."

 

 

STEP 7 "Shaving"

After the nap is raised, the fuzz that appears on the surface of the fabric is not uniform, so it is cut to a uniform length through a process called shearing. Although the nap raising process is also an important step in the finishing of the fabric, shearing is a very important process because it greatly affects the appearance of the color and pattern of the fabric, as well as the texture when touched.

 

 

"Understanding the intent of the instructions, not just carrying out the work according to the instructions, but responding to the instructions with results. That's what's important."

The craftsman said, "It is no exaggeration to say that shearing determines the impression that the end user has when they pick up the fabric. That is why this task requires the utmost care in order to make the most of the attention to detail in the nap raising process. It is also a process in which the finished product can vary greatly depending on the person operating the machine. All of our work is accompanied by what are called 'instructions' created by the people directing the fabric, but rather than the numerical values ​​written on them, we approach the machine by grasping the essential intention behind setting those numerical values. We sometimes do something different from the instructions after looking at the condition of the blade that cuts the fuzz, the condition of the fabric, and the slight differences between lots. But what's important is not the process but the result. That's how manufacturing should be done."

 

 

STEP 8 "Press"

The final step before the fabric is delivered to the factory where it is cut and sewn is the "pressing" process. The purpose of this process is to smooth and polish the surface of the fabric, by sandwiching the fabric between felt and applying high-temperature steam and pressure to adjust the surface texture. In the case of the blanket designed by JELADO, it is pressed softly to express the texture and three-dimensionality of AMERICAN VINTAGE.

 

 

 

And to next time...

A major realization I had through this interview was that while the spotlight tends to be on "weaving" when talking about textiles, the essential importance of the finishing and processing process, which is not so readily apparent, is extremely important. Also, when we talk about the "greatness of craftsmen," we tend to imagine a craftsman using analog tools to work on a product, but similarly, craftsmen who operate large-scale machines are imbued with an analog-ism that is almost obsessive, and in conclusion, human skill makes a big difference in the finished product.

 

 

It was a day where I really felt what JELADO said: "The finishing touches to the fabric are what give life to the fabric, and this process, where everything is built up with logic, should be the one that receives more attention." And, with AMERICAN VINTAGE as its backbone, JELADO seems to have a more logical and precise approach to manufacturing than when their past masterpieces were born, which is where the brand's essential value lies.

In the next issue, we will be looking at how the blankets that were finished as fabric in this interview are made into apparel products, focusing on the cutting and sewing processes.

 

<Text by Kobo Tagata, Photos by Sawada Seiji>

 

~ Part 3: "Sewing" is finally ready for delivery! ~click here

 

This jacket is made from revived vintage wool.click here