Wasuian was initially founded as a manufacturer of kimono accessories such as haori (traditional jacket) and obi (sashes). We are based in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, one of Japan's historical textile centers.
Over 60 years, we became the top producer of samue (traditional workwear now popularly used as loungewear) in Japan. Our garments combine traditional techniques with modern functionality and design.
Kiryu City, known as the "Weaving Capital," is an area that flourished through textiles. Its history of fabrics dates back to about 1,300 years.
The water of the Kiryu River, which is perfect for dyeing and washing, attracted silk fabric producers and related businesses that cultivated their crafts over generations. This environment greatly influenced our company's history to the present day.
Kiryu City once flourished with demand for kimono production, peaking in around 1980. However, the market has shrunk by nearly 85% since those heady days. As a result, our region faces a significant predicament.
In addition, due to price competition, the production of clothing, including traditional Japanese and Western garments, shifted to China and Southeast Asian countries. Today more than 97% of the clothing sold in Japan is imported. As a result, the number of factories in Japan rapidly decreased, and the inheritance of Japanese textile technology has stagnated.
Despite this challenging environment, at Wasuian, we are committed to preserving Japan's artisans' traditional spirit, aesthetics, and techniques.
We encourage artisans to pass on their skills to new generations to produce beautiful and high-quality garments made with traditional Japanese textiles in Japan. With this in mind, the manufacturing brand "Wasuian" was born, focusing on "Made in Japan."
We start from the yarn to weave fabrics suitable for samue and jinbei sourced from historical production areas throughout Japan and combine cutting-edge fiber technology with the wisdom of the Japanese people from long ago.
We pursue comfort that will make you fall in love with the clothes once you wear them and propose modern and lively designs for everyday wear, outdoor wear, and loungewear.
We manufacture and sell the world's widest variety of Japanese samue. Our range offers sizes from SS to 4L and up to 17 colors, depending on the product.
The "old but new style" of samue has come to be worn for sleeping, relaxing, gardening, chores around the house, and even casual wear for going out.
Also offer original accessories ideal for samue including hats, scarfs, underwear, socks, shoes, bags, and coats.
Our artisan-made garments combine comfort and functionality with the spirit inherited from Japanese history.
In recent decades, price competition has resulted in harsh working environments at manufacturing sites worldwide. We have received recognition from the Japanese government at both local and national levels for our efforts to reverse this trend.
We have always endeavored to provide a comfortable working environment so that more young artisans can inherit our skills and continue their work for a long time.
Complimenting our efforts to preserve traditional techniques, we have equipped our factories with the latest technology. As a result, we can be efficient and competitive without sacrificing the attention to detail and commitment to quality that defines Japanese manufacturing.
A kimono is cut from a single piece of cloth with scissors at the minimum necessary position and then tailored so that a single piece of cloth connects the front and back.
The making of samue follows this method. Of course, it would be easier if the shoulders were sewn into small parts like in Western clothing, but this would change the silhouette of the shoulders, which is unique to traditional Japanese garments.
Also, a seam is created on the back by using a backstitch. In the olden days, Japanese people believed that the seams of the backstitching had the power to prevent evil from creeping up from behind or entering through the back. Wasuian's samue continues this tradition.
The collar has always been an essential part of Japanese clothing. Like kimono construction, Wasuian's samue uses "drop sewing," which does not put visible stitches on the collar. This advanced technique takes about one year to master it.
Because of the collar, unlike jerseys and sweatshirts, samue makes you feel as if you are standing taller. We would like to preserve this design feature in samue as Japanese clothing.
Since ancient times, Japan's four seasons have been characterized by considerable differences in temperature, and the Japanese have used their wisdom and technology to devise new ways to make clothing.
Wasuian makes products that are based on natural fiber fabric and processing. We also have a lineup of comfortable samue made of chemical fibers, depending on the application. Handling fabrics requires different concerns for cutting and sewing for each product, so specialized knowledge and skills are needed in selecting and handling materials.
Samue were initially worn as work clothes by monks at temples. Their ease and comfort lead to their use spreading among artisans and chefs.
These days, the fascinating history, rustic aesthetics, and freedom of movement that samue offers are attracting renewed attention. Moving beyond their utilitarian roots, they are becoming popular for relaxing, gardening, creative pursuits, and more.
Samue are garments known for their simplicity, comfort, and classic elegance. Wearing them makes you feel like doing something creative. Perhaps it is the unique collar design that makes you stand or sit taller. Or, perhaps it is the history of being created and used by artisans.
In any case, we at Wasuian will continue to share the rich experience of wearing samue to the world.
