Using special American Sea Island Cotton, fabric on very ancient machines 1m per hour, this Japanese-made hoodie is warm & sturdy!
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Under the influence of the Coronavirus, the demand for apparel from clients has greatly decreased, and it was difficult to rely only on existing patrons. And so in 2020 we founded our own brand “Circlelabo” that is proud of proposing entirely “Made in Japan” products, from knitting to product planning, including dyeing and sewing.
A vintage knitting machine that exists only in Wakayama,
American sea island cotton revived after 100 years,
A 124-year-old apparel manufacturer with five sewing factories in Japan,
We are releasing a TSURIAMI cotton fabric hoodie that brings together their history.
Using high quality cotton known as “fiber gem” and “miracle cotton” made from “American Sea Island Cotton”, and a vintage knitting machine that can knit only 1m per hour, we created a TSURIAMI cotton fabric, and with it, durable, Made in Japan hoodies that can last you for a lifetime.
A loopwheel machine is an old-fashioned knitting machine developed in Europe in the early 1800s.
It began to be imported to Japan in the early 1900s and was active on the front lines of the Japanese knitting industry until the 1960s, but with the start of an era of mass production and mass consumption, high-speed knitting machines that emphasized mass production became mainstream, and loopwheel machines with extremely low productivity gradually disappeared.
In addition, machine manufacturers also stopped production, and many loopwheel machines were disposed of.
Nowadays, it is a rare knitting machine that remains only in Wakayama, Japan.
The origin of the name “loopwheel machine” comes from the unique manufacturing method in which the machine is suspended from a pillar and rotated to knit the fabric in a cylindrical shape.
A knitting needle called a bearded needle is fixed to the machine, and the surrounding gear knits as it places the thread on the needle.
The loopwheel machine can only knit about 7 sweatshirts even if it is operated for a day at about 1 meter of fabric knitted per hour.
In terms of productivity, it is only about 1/180th of the current mainstream circular knitting machine, making it an “obsolete” knitting machine unsuitable for mass production.
However, there is no extra tension on the thread, and the weave is slowly and carefully knitted, leaving room in the stitches, so the fabric can be knitted in a very airy manner giving it volume without destroying the soft texture of the thread itself.
The knitted fabric is not pulled and wound like on a normal knitting machine.
Because it naturally accumulates in the lower part of the machine under its own weight, it creates a plump finish without applying unnecessary stress to the fabric.
It is soft yet sturdy, and retains its softness and its shape with little shrinkage even after repeated washings!
This is the reason why vintage sweatshirts continue to attract many fans even after more than 50 years.
Every detail is thought out not to burden the fabric, down to the tip of the needle.
The needles of the loopwheel machine (beard needles) have rounded tips, which do not damage the thread and wear the needles less than the flat needles used in circular knitting machines.
The bearded needle is a rare needle that is currently only produced in Germany.
Since the production of the loopwheel machine has already ended, if repair is necessary, we will perform maintenance by removing parts from another knitting machine that is in storage.
Compared to other knitting machines, it is particularly difficult to handle, and only the factory manager and a few skilled craftsmen are in charge of it.
Revived after 100 years, American Sea Island Cotton has a luster like that of silk and a touch like cashmere.
Because all extra-long staple cotton (Pima, Giza, Suvin, Xinjiang, etc.) in the world are descended from this cotton, Sea Island cotton is the source of all ELS cotton.
Sea island cotton from the West Indies is extremely rare (less than 1/100,000 of the total cotton production) and is well known as the finest long fiber cotton.
American Sea Island Cotton (LUXSIC) is the name for the cotton that inherits 100% of this species’ DNA and is grown in the United States.
Around 1785, Barbadense (extremely long cotton) cultivated in the Caribbean was brought to the Sea Islands region of Georgia and South Carolina via the Bahamas.
Thus was the cotton grown there named Sea Island Cotton after the name of the place.
Cultivation of this Sea Island cotton flourished mainly in the coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, but was destroyed by a large-scale pest attack around 1920.
100 years later, thanks to the passion of engineers and the evolution of modern agriculture, Sea Island Cotton has been revived in New Mexico, USA.
That is the story of American Sea Island cotton.
TSURIAMI hoodies made of regular cotton,
This kind of product is often sold for about 20,000 ($140) to 30,000 yen ($210),
By producing in our own factory and selling directly, we can cut costs in retail and wholesale,
Doing that let us achieve a similar price but using the finest American Sea Island cotton.
In the Japanese apparel industry, the ratio of overseas production exceeds 97%,
By producing in Japan, we can respond to a demand for small lot production with our own selection of materials and specifications,
And by drawing a line between us and society’s mass-production and consumption,
We hope to be able to save Japan’s local production sites from decaying.
The hood part is soft and has a nice volume.
The hoodie comes with both a hologram tag with a serial number and a woven tag proof that it is made of “LUXSIC, American Sea Island Cotton”.
In order to improve the comfort, durability, and appearance, the seams on both sides, under the sleeves, and on the shoulders are all covered with cotton herringbone tape.
