Kosaburou's goal is not to create cut-and-sew garments that will be worn out, torn, and thrown away after one season. Our T-shirts are universal items that can be worn daily. Even after repeated washings, they do not lose their texture, do not wrinkle, and can be repaired if they become frayed. Kosaburou's "100-year T-shirts" were born from an encounter with a mysterious material that is thick, durable, and exceptionally soft against the skin.
 

Is there a T-shirt that is durable and that can be worn for a long time?

 In the sweltering summer heat, fashion often takes a back seat, and we tend to dress for comfort. But in times like these, we want to go out wearing our favorite clothes that make us feel good every day. So, we put on our favorite basic white T-shirt, which is cool and comfortable with its light and thin material. We may also wear an inner layer if we worry about the T-shirt being see-through. If you walk outside for 10 minutes, even in one thin T-shirt, you will be drenched in sweat and the T-shirt will stick to your back.
 
As soon as we get on the airconditioned train at the station the sweat we worked up suddenly cools. We are then left with the unpleasant feeling of a sweaty T-shirt clinging to our back, wondering if we might catch a cold.
 

These sweaty hot summer days test our patience. Our favorite T-shirts pile up in the laundry. We love wearing them, but after repeated washings some of them become loose around the neck. We want to wash our T-shirts carefully, but in reality, it isn’t so easy. After one season our favorite T-shirts end up as loungewear, and we are left needing to buy more for next summer.

There are, of course, extraordinary clothes and there are everyday clothes. Plain white T-shirts are certainly the latter and could be labeled as consumables. However, in these days of climate change and environmental awareness, can we really say that T-shirts, which are bought and re-purchased every year, are the right purchase? Can we confidently call them necessary purchases? No one can stop you from buying something, especially if you like the design and material. But, on the other hand, maybe you should consider choosing something more comfortable and longer lasting.

The President of Kondo Sewing, Yoshinari Kondo, who launched Kosaburou, had such modest doubts daily. He was not particularly stressed or inconvenienced when wearing thin, lightweight T-shirts. After all, he chose T-shirts with high-quality fibers to reduce the discomfort of sweat from factory work. However, even those T-shirts quickly wore out. On the other hand, he felt more durable T-shirts made of thicker fabric were too uncomfortable to wear. He continued wearing T-shirts that usually wore out quickly because he thought there wasn’t a better solution.

One day, he came across a cut-and-sew material woven with yarn developed by Epp Yarn Co. He was impressed by its firmness and tight texture, yet it was still soft to the touch. In a 30-year career of sewing apparel, he had never seen this kind of material before. He thought that Kosaburou could produce high-quality T-shirts from this fabric. Since Kosaburou is a sewing factory, he thought these T-shirts could be made in-house and repaired for many years to come. Then, Kosaburou would be able to produce T-shirts that could be worn for a long, long time.
 
With this idea in mind, he immediately made a prototype and spent one summer wearing the T-shirt. It exceeded his expectations. He was filled with enthusiasm, thinking that if many people could wear these T-shirts, they would experience something that had never been seen before.

HEAVY-WEIGHT 30/3

 The raw material used is the highest quality Peruvian 30 count extra-long staple cotton, which is usually used for high quality cotton knitwear. It is made by twisting three strands together using a special process called Zero Torque®. Zero Torque® is a registered trademark of Epp Yarn Co. The characteristic of yarn twisted by Zero Torque® is that it is not over-twisted. This gives the fabrics a fullness, even though they are densely knitted. Another great advantage of fabrics made from Zero Torque® yarns is that they are less prone to shrinkage and distortion even after repeated washing.

This yarn is then dyed in a process called yarn dyeing. Normally, the dyeing process is done from the raw silk stage (kibata*), but in this case dyeing is done from the much earlier yarn stage. It takes time and effort, but this process makes the fabric softer and smoother. Colors, such as black, navy blue, and gray were possible, but we wanted a simple white T-shirt that you never get tired of. In fact, the dyeing process for the white T-shirts is also done from the yarn stage.
*The fabric as it is made on a loom or knitting machine.

 Kosaburou's standard 30/3 HEAVY WEIGHT is knitted to 12oz which is similar to the weight of denim. The densely woven material is soft and does not feel heavy or stressed on your skin. It absorbs perspiration well and won’t stick to your skin. If you suddenly go from a hot place to a cooler place, you will not feel any unpleasant chill down your spine. And even after washing it won’t wrinkle, shrink, or change in size. This yarn is provided exclusively for Kosaburou and is something special that cannot be found anywhere else.

The sizing is designed to create a loose fit that allows wind to easily pass through it, giving the T-shirt an airy feeling. This demonstrates the true nature of this material, allowing for maximum comfort even in humid Japanese summers. This was inspired by a cut-and-sew design we sewed for an indigo-dyeing manufacturer in Hong Kong. When we asked why they chose a loose fit, they said it was necessary to stay comfortable in Hong Kong’s humid climate. So, the collars were widened as much as possible like boat necks and the body was made as wide as possible without being unnaturally wide.
 
The T-shirt is durable enough to be worn for 100 years, hence the name, "100-year Tee".

The collar is not ribbed but has a binder finish made of the same fabric. It has six stitches to prevent the cotton material from curling up or wrinkling. This design which came about unintentionally, not only ensures the strength of the product, but is also an appealing feature of Kosaburou's original design.
 
 

HIGHCOUNT MIDDLE-WEIGHT 60/3

 Kosaburou also produces a slightly thinner 60/3 fabric made of 60-count yarn which is finer than 30-count yarn. Like our 30/3 HEAVY WEIGHT fabric it is also made by twisting three strands together using the Zero Torque® process. Both our 30/3 and 60/3 yarns are made into fabrics by Nagara Knitwear Co. which was established in 1977 in Bishu, one of the world's three largest textile production centers. Our fabrics are woven with a high level of technical skill with the utmost attention to detail. Even with 60-count fine yarn, the fabric is made up to 8 oz, making it quite durable. It can also be worn by itself, since it is not transparent.

Many T-shirts cannot be tumble-dried, but because of their durability, Kosaburou’s T-shirts hardly change in size when put through the dryer, with only a slight shrinkage in width and almost no shrinkage in length.

Aftercare for long-lasting wear
What Kondo Sewing can do.

 What is the significance of Kondo Sewing's production of Kosaburou garments?
 
Kondo Sewing was founded in 1987 as a cut-and-sew sewing factory. Originally specializing in sewing product samples, the factory's origins are different from those of ordinary large sewing factories.
 
 
In a large factory, various sewing machines are lined up vertically and operated on a line-by-line basis. For example, a product whose shoulders have been sewn on one line is carried to the next line for the underarms to be sewn on, and so on. Machines operate on each line and the product moves along the line. At Kondo Sewing, on the other hand, machines are grouped together like islands. There, the craftsman sews the garment, and then carries the garment to the next island to proceed to the next process. This is more efficient and quicker when sewing small lots or sample products.

Because we have a system where people manage each item, there is no need to produce large quantities, and as a result there is minimal loss. Individual repairs can also be accommodated. After Kosaburou's products are delivered to the world, they can be returned to the factory for repair, and the cycle of repairing them and delivering them back to consumers can be continued.

In addition, we have asked Yamakatsu Dyeing, founded in Nagoya in 1919, to provide aftercare support for re-dyeing Kosaburou T-shirts that have been worn for a long time. Skilled craftsman can re-dye the T-shirts in navy blue or black, after they have faded or been stained with sweat, unexpected stains, or dirt. We believe this breathes new life into our T-shirts, making it possible to wear them for many years.

 What can we do to make a product wearable and usable for as long as possible? There are things that only Kondo Sewing can do, and with sincerity we will continue to manufacture high-quality garments well into the future.