Over the next few posts, I would like to introduce how the K-iwami brand was born.

Japan's "high-added-value manufacturing, which cannot be imitated by other countries" achieved incredible rapid development during the postwar period of rapid economic growth, and it developed into an economic superpower.

However, the kimono industry, one of these industries, has seen its kimono market shrink from a trillion yen to about 260 billion yen in recent years, a quarter of its former size. As a result, the industry is now facing serious problems such as a decline in the number of traditional craftsmen of kimono and a decline in successors.

However, this is no longer just a problem for the kimono industry. Relying on overseas manufacturing to prioritize profits has led to the decline of excellent businesses employing domestic craftsmen in other industries as well, and the current coronavirus incident has exposed the fragility of Japanese manufacturing. This is no longer just a problem for the kimono industry, but is now affecting many other industries, including the apparel industry.

So we went back to our roots and wondered if we could create something that would help as many people as possible in Japan to appreciate the beauty of "traditional crafts" that only Japanese people have, and the "delicate craftsmanship of Japanese artisans." This was the starting point of the K-iwami project.

(To be continued)