～凛として　明日を結ぶ～

～ Connecting tomorrow with dignity ～

 

Kojima in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, was once an island in the Seto Inland Sea,
but it became connected to the mainland through large-scale land reclamation during the Edo period.

There, cotton, which is resistant to saline soil, began to be cultivated,
and eventually cotton yarn and cotton cloth were produced, leading to its development as a "textile town" that continues to this day.

In recent years, unique processing and sewing techniques have been developed one after another, further enhancing its value,
and "Kojima" continues to grow as a town boasting high quality and technical capabilities.

In Kojima, cotton that is resistant to salty soil is cultivated,
and cotton yarn is produced, contributing to the town's
development as a “textile town.”
In recent years, unique technologies have been developed one after another,
and Kojima continues to grow as a town
that boasts high quality and technical capabilities.

 

Kojima Obi® is made by combining Kojima's
denim, tatamiberi, and Sanada himo from "Textile Town Kojima."

Mainly half-width obi for women and square obi for men,
they are designed with the motto of "high quality" and "fashionable."

Kojima Obi® is made by combining Kojima denim, Tatamiberi, and Sanada himo.
With “high quality” and “fashionable” as our motto,
we mainly offer half-width obi for women and square obi for men.

 

 ▶▶▶View Kojima Obi

 

 

 

 

《 Features of Kojima Obi® 》
～ characteristic ～

～Material～
material

●Tatamiberi
Tatamiberi

Kojima boasts the highest production volume of tatamiberi in Japan. It is a local pride.
(Tatamiberi = the fabric sewn to decorate and protect the edges of tatami mats)

Kojima Obi® is reversible (half-width obi and square obi),
and uses tatamiberi on one side.

Kojima has the highest production volume of tatamiberi in Japan.
Kojima Obi® is reversible and uses tatamiberi on one side.

The characteristics of tatamiberi are:
① Lightweight
② Easy to wipe clean (depending on the type of stain)
③ Has firmness

These three characteristics are important elements for clothing.
In particular, characteristic ③ makes it different from conventional obi,
allowing for large and ornate obi tying.

You can achieve a voluminous look that makes you think, "Is this really possible with just one half-width obi!?"

The characteristics of tatamiberi are that it is lightweight,
easy to wipe clean, and has good elasticity.
Compared to traditional obi,
it is larger and can be tied in more elaborate styles.

Tatamiberi was born as a "building material."
Building materials becoming obi material.
With a change in perspective, the world of Japanese clothing and the future of tatamiberi will surely expand even further.

Our company uses specially developed tatamiberi that is heat-resistant and can be ironed
even if creases form from tying the obi.

Tatamiberi are “building materials.”
With a shift in thinking, the future of Japanese clothing will expand.
We use a specially developed heat-resistant material.

*Our tatamiberi are manufactured by "Takada Orimono Co., Ltd." and "Nishinaka Orimono Co., Ltd." in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.

 

 

●Denim
denim

The other side of the tatamiberi is denim.
Needless to say, "Kojima Denim" has already made a name for itself in the fashion world.

However, there are so many types of denim that it's impossible to describe them all in one word.
So, what kind of denim is suitable for an obi? We considered this and
selected fabric that meets the following conditions.

“Kojima denim” is well known in the fashion world,
but there are many types.
We chose fabric that met the following conditions:

① The total weight of the finished obi is up to 500g (to not burden the body)
② Can be maintained at home (colorfast, hand washable, and ironable)
③ Does not compromise the dignity of traditional attire

We have pursued "Kojima denim" that retains the characteristics of denim as an "easy-to-handle material"
while also possessing the pride and dignity of traditional attire.

Currently, we mainly use "casual denim," which has been loved for about half a century,
and "silk denim," an elegant blend of silk and cotton,
from a textile manufacturer in Kojima that performs "dyeing, weaving, and processing" in its own factory.

The total weight of the obi must be less than 500g,
it must be easy to maintain at home,
and it must not compromise the dignity of the traditional costume.
Currently, we mainly use “casual denim” and “silk denim” fabrics
from a textile manufacturer in Kojima.  

Silk denim is also tailored into kimonos,
and is highly regarded for its luster and pleasant texture.

The silk denim surface can be decorated with "Shichisai-zome" by a traditional craftsman
and "gold and silver ink patterns" by calligrapher Reikou
(see "About Kimono").

Silk denim can be dyed in Shichisai-zome
and decorated with gold and silver ink patterns.

*Our denim fabric is manufactured by "Showwa Co., Ltd." in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.

 

 

●Sanada Himo
Sanada Himo

Sanada himo is used as an accent on the denim side of the obi.
It is one of the narrowest fabrics in the world, yet despite its narrowness, it adds a strong sense of aesthetic appeal.

Sanada Himo is one of the narrowest fabrics in the world,
but despite its narrowness, it has a strong sense of style.

And for good reason,
because it is a fabric with a long history, having been sold as a souvenir
on the approach roads to both Yukawa Daigongen (Kojima) and Konpirasan (Shikoku),
which were popular pilgrimage sites during the Edo period.

It has a history of being sold as a souvenir
at shrines and temples since the Edo period.

*Our Sanada himo is manufactured by "Sakamoto Orimono Co., Ltd." in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.

 

 

 

～Sewing Technique～
sewing technique

Sewing different materials and fabrics of varying thicknesses to create a reversible obi requires skill.

However, Kojima possesses excellent sewing techniques, originally developed for handling complex garments such as jeans.

Since a large number of people are still engaged in the sewing industry,
Kojima Obi®, as its name suggests, is a MADE IN KOJIMA product,
with everything from material manufacturing to sewing done in Kojima.

Sewing together different materials requires skill,
but Kojima has excellent sewing techniques for jeans and other items,
and many people are involved in sewing.
Kojima Obi® is a MADE IN KOJIMA product,
with everything from material manufacturing to sewing done in Kojima.

 

"Textile Town" still produces many other textiles.
We conceived Kojima Obi® with the hope that one obi could be a catalyst
to broadly inform everyone about this unique town where multiple types of textile industries are concentrated.

Many other types of textiles are also produced in this “textile town.”
Through Kojima Obi®, we want to spread awareness of this unique town
where multiple types of textile industries are concentrated.

 

Also,
we would like to introduce a blog that features our "passion" for creating Kojima Obi
and shares our story here.