After seeing the yarn and dyeing processes, I headed straight to Okazaki Knit. The president and Ms. Yamazaki from V:room accompanied me, and we conducted business negotiations and a factory tour simultaneously. It was a time to refine the fabric requirements through words and touch, in order to create a light, soft, and comfortable unisex sweatshirt that is "moist" and "fluffy."

The core of fabric creation, developed in collaboration with Okazaki Knit.

What makes working with Okazaki Knit so reassuring is the wide range of options available on-site. They have a broad range of circular knitting capabilities, allowing us to select knitting machine settings to match the desired texture. We can also consult with them from the yarn and raw material stages, and the coordination across processes is smooth. Above all, working with a team of people with rich experience and knowledge is incredibly reassuring.

How to choose fabrics—matching criteria using words and texture

When selecting fabrics, we spread out fabric samples on a table and first share our impressions by touching them. The thickness should appear subtle, and it should feel soft in the hand. It shouldn't feel heavy when you move it. Based on these three points, we sequentially checked the yarn selection, the weave, the strength of the nap, and the tightness of the loops.


Instead of relying too heavily on words like "plump" and "moist," I felt that everyone's perspectives naturally converged when we incorporated specific clues such as how the product returns to its original shape and how easily it separates from the skin. I'm looking forward to the next sample being completed based on what we discussed in this meeting.

Learning knitting settings and how to create textures at the factory.

After the meeting, everyone went inside the factory.
The circular knitting machines were neatly lined up, and I could see with my own eyes that there was a wide range of gauges, from low to medium.


Because each knitting machine produces a different texture, you choose the machine that best suits the feel of the fabric and adjust the gauge (stitch size) and tension (density) by adding or subtracting them. Watching the actual settings demonstrated, I realized that knitting with low tension, which doesn't put stress on the yarn, leads to a soft, airy feel.

The aesthetics of preparation I felt in a dish from Wakayama.

My memories of food were also similar to the feeling I had that day. For lunch, I went for Wakayama ramen. It's customary in this town to eat the ramen with a boiled egg and "hayazushi" (pressed sushi) from the table. Having everything I needed readily available and being able to proceed without hesitation reminded me of the progress made in a manufacturing site.


At Okazaki Knit, I was able to carefully articulate the requirements for comfort and learn firsthand how to achieve the desired knitting results. I feel encouraged by the confident hands of the professionals as I head into the third day.