Materials
Good material makes good clothes
The process of producing goods at UNIQLO starts with material development. The reason why we put so much emphasis on materials is because we believe that material is extremely important in determining the quality of any clothes. Furthermore, it is vital to have a stable arrangement for materials in order to ensure a consistent supply of any product. At UNIQLO, based upon the information collected from our markets and from within the industry, we conduct material development and supply in close coordination with our R&D centers, our merchandising and materials planning teams and our Chinese contract manufacturers.
We also participate positively in the development of new materials through strategic partnerships with materials manufacturers. A good example of this is our strategic business partnership with TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC. This cooperation has been so successful that many now expect the partnership to generate a constant stream of new highly functional materials.
Kaihara Denim
Kaihara Corporation, based in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is known within the denim industry as the World’s Kaihara thanks to the company’s high quality, highly original denim materials. Kaihara can boast a 50% share of the Japanese denim cloth market and the firm also supplies cloth to well known denim manufacturers globally.
The relationship between UNIQLO and Kaihara dates back to 1998 when UNIQLO opened its first ever urban store in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku area. Kaihara has proved itself to be a strong UNIQLO partner ever since continuing to provide us with high quality denim at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Kaihara Corporation’s Sanwa Factory