Interview with the Kurashiki City Japan Heritage Promotion Office
We spoke with Horiuchi Yusuke of the Kurashiki City Planning and Management Office’s Japan Heritage Promotion Office about Kojima, which continues to thrive as a “textile town.”
The “textile town” Kurashiki is proud of was born from the passion of the people of Kojima
Why do you think Kojima has continued to develop as a “textile town”?
Horiuchi (honorific omitted)
Personally, I think it’s because the people of Kojima were skilled at business.
They were quick to pick up on trends as the times changed, and adapted the products they made, from school uniforms to jeans. They also sometimes add value by modifying existing products, saying, “Let’s make a special pair of jeans for 30,000 yen!”
I think their ability to keep an eye out for trends and their determination to make things with their own hands have made Kojima a “textile town.”
Perhaps companies will take on new products in the future, too.
Community development using textile products
Could you tell us about examples of community development that make use of textile products?
Horiuchi
The Kojima Jeans Street, also famous as a tourist destination in Kojima, is one such community development initiative.
The area where Kojima Jeans Street is now was once home to a bustling shopping district called Ajino Shopping Street. However, after the period of rapid economic growth, Ajino Shopping Street became a shuttered shopping street.
Later, the Kojima Chamber of Commerce and Industry began receiving inquiries such as, “I want to buy jeans in Kojima, but where can I get them?” To revive the bustle of the former shopping district, the Kojima Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the local community took the lead in creating Kojima Jeans Street.
So before Kojima Jeans Street was created, it was difficult to get jeans from Kojima.
Horiuchi
Until then, the jeans made in Kojima were mainly OEM products commissioned by apparel brands, rather than the companies’ own products.
However, launching their own brands improved the brand power of Kojima jeans, and some companies were able to expand their sales channels overseas.
By establishing a brand image that “Kojima jeans are high quality” and increasing the value of the production area’s brand, I think this has also helped revitalize the region.
Are there any other examples of initiatives?
Horiuchi
The Kojima Chamber of Commerce and Industry is leading a variety of initiatives, including creating “G-Panda,” a lovable mascot, and holding “Kojima Fest #Seni-sai” to help people learn about the appeal of Kojima jeans.
I think Kojima Fest in particular is a great opportunity to let many people know that Kojima is a textile town.
What are Kojima’s unique strengths?
There are other areas in Japan with thriving textile industries. What are Kojima’s strengths compared with them?
Horiuchi
First, an integrated supply chain, from manufacturing to sales, is concentrated in the area from Fukuyama City to Kojima.
Apparently, it is quite rare worldwide to find a region with such a concentration of specialized textile companies covering fabric, sewing, processing, and dyeing. Being able to complete the entire process in Kojima helps the local economy run smoothly and makes it possible to produce high-quality goods with short lead times.
Also, I think Kojima’s textile companies have a strong spirit of challenge.
The textile industry inevitably requires human labor. As a result, compared with other industries, it involves many aspects that are difficult to mechanize and automate.
In this environment, Kojima’s companies continue to take on various challenges, including mechanization.
For example, Howa Co., Ltd., which was the first in the world to establish the processing technique known as “stonewashing,” is one of the companies leading the production area, developing ways to ensure consistent processing quality using lasers and environmentally friendly washing techniques.
These various challenges not only address labor shortages, but also create new added value through consistent quality, workforce development, and environmental consideration. And good manufacturing should also help attract new workers to the production area.
I understand that the companies’ spirit of challenge is the most important thing in carrying Kojima’s textile industry into the future.
So Kojima’s manufacturing is constantly changing.
Horiuchi
When making traditional crafts, “not changing” and “remaining unchanged” are important. But jeans are, after all, part of everyday life, so I think people make them not by sticking to fixed conventions, but by incorporating the trends of the times.
Personally, I feel that the spirit of folk craft rooted in Kurashiki and jeans have something in common.
What do folk crafts and jeans have in common?
Horiuchi
Eating a meal from a favorite tea bowl makes everyday life a little richer.
Jeans made in Kojima are not mass-produced items like fast fashion; you can sense their place of origin and the people who made them. They also change with age as you continue to wear them, and it is appealing how each person grows attached to their own pair.
I think they share the spirit of beauty in utility—cherishing an object in everyday life.
The history will continue to be woven
Finally, could you tell us what you consider to be Kojima’s appeal as an industry?
Horiuchi
First and foremost, it is one of Japan’s leading industrial clusters. I think the ability to keep the local economy circulating through their own efforts is also one reason the industry has endured.
Kojima is not only established as a “textile town,” but also has many companies with strong brands. Their name recognition means that even today, when labor shortages are a concern, new talent continues to come to Kojima.
I think new people to carry on the work and fans are drawn to the area precisely because each company has its own unique strengths and appeal.
From the Writer
Kurashiki is proud of its diverse textile products. Tracing their history one by one, we find companies that never stopped taking on challenges in any era.
I think the industry continues to thrive today thanks to the efforts of people that go beyond what we can imagine.
Textile products are a familiar part of our lives. Taking another look at them can also be a way to support Kurashiki’s companies.
Let’s continue to keep an eye on Kurashiki, a textile-producing region.
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