JELADO Tokyo Dragon Heads Sweat Shirt [AB01225]

As with the previous edition, we created and released original designs in the electroplated flocked print series.

As 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, we adopted a dragon motif for the design. We used a college sports team-style logo design and an illustration of a dragon head from a Sukajan jacket, expressed using a technique called flocking (flock printing). This design was carefully crafted from the illustration stage onwards to intentionally add a cracked effect that occurs over time, like vintage flocking prints.
While regular screen printing can print multiple pieces at the same time on one line, this printing takes longer than regular methods because skilled craftsmen print each piece by hand. Since it is not a mass-production machine, it is a special method that requires a lot of time for equipment setup and maintenance before and after work. For detailed work procedures, please check our YOUTUBE channel.
The body is knitted in a circular style (no side seams) using an old-fashioned Azuma knitting machine. Azuma knitting machines are used to produce fleece that is characterized by its vintage look and lightness. This knitting machine appeared in the 70s during the transition from loopwheel knitting machines to innovative knitting machines, and there are only a limited number of them in existence. Products made with Azuma knitting machines have an uneven surface and a fluffy texture, allowing you to enjoy the texture of a loopwheel knitting machine.
As for the nap, normal nap is done in one step on a flat surface, but in the case of round nap, the round nap is aligned with the flat surface to nap on all four sides, and the work goes all the way around, which takes more time and effort than usual. By applying nap before dyeing, a unique texture is created.
The sewing is almost entirely done with a twin needle, with the cuffs using a circular knit rib, which is attached in one go directly from the twin needle sewing of the underarms, faithfully recreating the sewing method used on vintage items at the time.