Most people are likely to own at least one piece of clothing made from denim. If you take a closer look at the denim fabric, you'll find the shine of craftsmanship.
Denim shows various expressions not only by the material, but also by the weaving process. Specializing in the manufacture of such denim fabric is Shinohara Textile Co., Ltd., located in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company was founded in 1907, starting from Bingo Kasuri manufacturing, and has been continuously producing textiles for over 115 years until it reached the current denim production.
They particularly excel at creating denim with a sophisticated expression, using materials such as Tencel™ and recycled polyester. We interviewed Yuki Shinohara, the representative of the company, about the deep charm of denim. The more one delves into the depth of denim, the more captivated they will be by its charm, and their love for denim will only deepen.
PROFILE
Yuki Shinohara
Representative of Shinohara Textile Co., Ltd.
Born and raised in Fukuyama City, she graduated from Eisugakkan Junior High and High School and then from Osaka Institute of Technology. Afterwards, she joined Taishoboseki and then Shinohara Textile.
As of July 1, 2022, she assumed the position of the 5th President of Shinohara Textile.
From Kasuri Textiles to Denim Manufacturing
Shinohara Textile has been around for more than 115 years. First, could you tell us about your journey to becoming the representative of the company?
I was born and raised in this town of Fukuyama. My family home is right next to the denim factory that our company operates, so it was part of my daily life to watch the factory scene from the windows. I spent my time until graduation from high school in Fukuyama, and then went on to a technological university in Osaka. After graduation, I thought, 'If I'm ever to take over the family business, I'd like to learn about the yarn, which is the pre-process of the fabric,' so I got a job at Taishoboseki.This spinning company was a unique business that not only supplied the yarn necessary for making fabric according to orders from weaving and knitting factories, but also proposed yarns that included fabric and products. Here, we thought about the overall process from cotton to product, and proposed how to make products in various steps to companies.
At Taishoboseki, I got to study in various production areas and sold a variety of yarns. In addition to Okayama and Hiroshima, which are denim producing areas, I also visited towel makers in Imabari, knit makers in Wakayama, sock makers in Nara, and so on. During my 7 years there, I experienced a lot of things, from machine maintenance at the factory to product development and sales.
Then, I joined Shinohara Textile again to learn all the processes of fabric manufacturing and became President in 2022. Currently, my two younger brothers and I are all active in Shinohara Textile.
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