Kurashiki City's Kojima area is known for its thriving textile industry.
Japan's first domestically made jeans were born here in Kojima.
Many people from inside and outside the prefecture visit “Kojima Jeans Street,” lined with jeans shops, and “Kojima Fest #Seni-sai,” where clothing from companies across Kojima is sold.
Although the industry may seem glamorous, its workers are aging, and it also faces the problem of finding successors.
To address the social issues facing the industry, a new-style exhibition that explores and shares denim from many perspectives, “SETO INLAND LINK (Seto Inland Link),” is being launched.
Its concept is “Diverse individuality woven by ‘denim’.”
There will be no apparel sales; instead, the event will showcase the value of denim and diverse individuality through art.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Yutori18 Co., Ltd., organizer of SETO INLAND LINK
SETO INLAND LINK is organized by “Yutori18 Co., Ltd. (Yutori Ichihachi),” a company based in Kojima.
In addition to producing its own original brand, the company mainly processes denim and makes denim products by hand based on client requests.
Because the products are made by artisans, the company can accommodate detailed orders, but the work requires delicate skills.
We were given a special tour to see the artisans’ skillful processing work.
Inside the Yutori18 Co., Ltd. factory
At Yutori18 Co., Ltd., client orders are handled entirely by hand, from sewing through processing.
Because the work is divided among several people, the process of passing the item from one artisan to another on its way to completion is like a relay baton being passed along.
The artisans work from a single “recipe” that lays out each step with the finished product in mind, ensuring that the order is completed as requested.
The shape is created using a stencil, while details such as the “whiskers” around the crotch and distressed hems are also made using artisan techniques.
“Damage crushing,” in which jeans are washed with stones and distressed to create a vintage look, is another technique unique to jeans-making.
Rather than simply washing them with stones, pins are placed in the jeans to create varying degrees of distress and different shades of fading.
Watching the jeans change shape one after another through the artisans’ sense and skill, it seemed to me as if they were collaboratively creating a work of art.
Original brand
The company’s own brand, “New Manual,” is directed by Fujihara Yutaka, who is involved with SETO INLAND LINK.
Fujihara Yutaka is said to have been a driving force behind the vintage denim boom and is an influential figure in the denim industry.
New Manual is a brand that seeks to “reconsider the things of a good era through a modern lens and create a new manual.”
To create a vintage look, the company imagines where clothing will fade, wrinkle, or wear through as it is actually worn, then expresses this through processing.
About SETO INLAND LINK
Today, approaches to younger generations are essential to address challenges in the denim industry, including the aging of artisans and a shortage of successors.
With the belief that efforts to redefine and elevate the value of denim are indispensable, SETO INLAND LINK will be held from Saturday, October 7 to Monday, October 9, 2023 (national holiday).
To preserve the industry and pass it on to the next generation, its value must be communicated to young people so they can understand it.
The aims and features of SETO INLAND LINK are as follows.
- By proposing new value for the denim industry, attract new people—including workers, businesses, and tourists—and revitalize the region.
- By communicating that denim-making is work where people can make use of their individuality as well as their technical skills, spark the interest of the next generation of creative-minded workers.
- Through denim, foster connections among diverse people and open up a creative and prosperous future.
- A diverse range of participants, from elementary school students to internationally active artists
- An extraordinary space created by combining historic, beautiful scenery and venues with artworks made using innovative denim
- A diverse program that lets visitors enjoy denim from many perspectives, not just as clothing
The Bikan Historical Area was chosen as the venue to introduce denim’s new appeal to as many people as possible, as it attracts many visitors from outside Okayama Prefecture and from overseas.
Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery (former Chugoku Bank Kurashiki Honmachi Branch)
The Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery was completed in 1922 as the Kurashiki branch of the former Daiichi Godo Bank, whose president was Ohara Magosaburo.
The building is beautiful, with Renaissance-style columns and stained glass.
It was designed by architect Yakushiji Kazue, who also worked on Ohara Museum of Art and Yurin-so Villa, and was used as the Chugoku Bank Kurashiki Honmachi Branch until 2016.
Now known as the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery, it is aiming for a grand opening as a new wing of the Ohara Museum of Art.
The building, which once supported the daily lives of local residents, is set to be reborn as a tourist landmark.
Ryokan Kurashiki
Located on the bank of the Kurashiki River, where it curves through the Bikan Historical Area, is Ryokan Kurashiki.
It was renovated from the main house and rice storehouses of a sugar wholesaler built in the late Edo period.
The inn is said to have been loved by printmaker Munakata Shiko and novelist Shiba Ryotaro.
Many tourists from Japan and abroad stay here, seeking a space that evokes Kurashiki’s history.
Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan
Today, Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan is a cultural tourism facility visited by tourists and is also available for room rentals.
The facility was renovated from the main house and storehouses of the Higashi-Ohashi family residence, built between the Edo period and the early Showa period.
Located near the entrance to the Bikan Historical Area, it also has a tourist information corner and coin lockers.
Cultivating and sharing value through SETO INLAND LINK
SETO INLAND LINK offers a variety of programs to share the many attractions of denim.
▼Here are some featured SETO INLAND LINK programs:
- EXHIBITION-1: Vintage × Reproduction
- EXHIBITION-2: Denim × Our Relationship with People
- EXHIBITION-3: Social Issues × The Power of Art
- EXHIBITION-4: Denim Artisans’ Skills × Students’ Creativity
- ONLINE EXHIBITION: KURASHIKI TOUR by POGGY
- WORKSHOP: Denim Art Woven Together
Here, we introduce EXHIBITION-3 and 4, which were completed together with local people.
EXHIBITION-3: Social Issues × The Power of Art
EXHIBITION-3 features works by two artists who engage with social issues.
- LINK-1: Art Unlocks Children’s Potential — Clothes Made for Someone Special
- LINK-2: Boro (Patchwork) Formal Wear
LINK-1 presents a collaborative work by eight children from Pantone Future School, run by Kenichi Uneo, CEO of IyashitoRi18 Co., Ltd., and artist Tsuno Seiran.
Pantone Future School is an after-school day service for children from elementary through high school who have developmental delays or concerns.
“I hope they will discover and express their potential through art. I hope they will nurture that potential, eventually find work suited to their individuality, and become adults who contribute to that industry,” says Uneo.
The process is just as important as the finished work: the children engage in creating, grow, and connect with society.
The theme of LINK-1 is “Clothes Made for Someone Special.”
The exhibition will recreate the space where the works were made, while depicting a gathering of “people who are cherished” wearing clothes created by the children.
EXHIBITION-4: Denim Artisans’ Skills × Students’ Creativity
This program pairs three denim-processing companies in Kojima with three schools in Okayama Prefecture.
▼Denim-processing companies
- IyashitoRi18 Co., Ltd.
- WHOVAL Co., Ltd.
- Bito Co., Ltd.
▼Schools in Okayama Prefecture
- Kurashiki City College
- Kurashiki Fashion College
- Chugoku Design College
Students learn techniques from the denim-processing companies, then develop designs and create works.
The works are made primarily from waste materials generated during the three companies’ manufacturing processes.
The three companies that process denim in Kojima are said to have a good relationship, working together to invigorate the industry.
They see value in companies that focus on processing and spur one another on working together to hold an event.
This relationship seems to continue because the companies believe that their staff grow by learning about other companies as well as their own.
EXHIBITION-4 aims to create opportunities for students and artisans to interact, pass on skills, and spark interest in the denim industry.
SETO INLAND LINK shares new attractions and value in denim, and creates connections.
We spoke with Kenichi Uneo, CEO of IyashitoRi18 Co., Ltd., the event organizer.
SETO INLAND LINK Information
| Name | SETO INLAND LINK |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 7 (Sat)–9 (Mon, public holiday), 2023 9:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (until 7:00 p.m. on the 9th) ※Exhibitions at Ryokan Kurashiki are open until 7:00 p.m. every day |
| Location | Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery, Ryokan Kurashiki, Kurashiki City Kurashiki Monogatari-kan |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | SETO INLAND LINK |
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