Wakayama Daibakusho MIC TEXTILE / Regeneration (Sweatshirt)

Future Yarn / Adopts "Brewed Protein TM Fiber"
MIC TEXTILE, the largest knit factory in Wakayama Prefecture, was founded in 1969 as a direct factory of the general trading company Marubeni in Arita District, 30 kilometers south of Wakayama City. The company name (MIC) comes from Marubeni Industrial Corporation, and it has over 70 employees with a balanced age structure, ensuring technology transfer through its operations.
They specialize in handling polyurethane elastic fiber, commonly known as "Bear," and plan and manufacture sportswear and trainer fabrics. It is said that their products were once used for the Japanese national soccer team's uniforms. For this, their first participation in Wakayama Daibakusho, they combined the new material Brewed Protein TM Fiber with other materials. We spoke with Mr. Hiroshi Mukai of the company.
- What was your impression when you first saw Brewed Protein TM Fiber?
Mukai: I thought the luster was beautiful. The yarn used this time is 20% Brewed Protein TM Fiber and 80% cotton. Fujibo Textile, who handled the dyeing, told us it would have a texture like silk or cashmere, so to bring out that characteristic, we adopted the interweaving technique that our company excels at.
- This is a technique for knitting fabric using two or more types of yarn.
Mukai: Yes. The T-shirt uses a knitting method called "vertical corduroy smooth." As the name suggests, smooth fabric has a silky texture, elasticity, and moderate thickness, and is used for loungewear and T-shirts. When smooth fabric is knitted with two different types of yarn, vertical lines appear. This is called corduroy. This time, we used Brewed Protein TM Fiber and nylon in a one-to-one ratio. Both yarns have a luster, and we hope you will enjoy the difference in texture and comfort.
- What about the hoodie?
Mukai: After consulting with our sales manager, we thought it would be interesting if it could stretch significantly while maintaining the texture of Brewed Protein TM Fiber, so we adopted the "Bear French Terry" technique. - This is a knitting method where polyurethane is woven into the outer fabric, providing stretchability and resistance to deformation.
Mukai: That's right. We use a high-gauge 24-gauge machine. For the outer yarn, we used a blend of Brewed Protein TM Fiber yarns to add thickness, and for the core yarn, we incorporated Bear for elasticity. For the inner yarn, we used fine-count cotton to ensure a soft feel against the skin.
- How was your experience participating in Wakayama Daibakusho?
Mukai: Actually, I moved to Wakayama three years ago and came from a different industry. Before that, I didn't know Wakayama was a knit production area. When I came here, I realized that the entire production area in Wakayama is committed to manufacturing and has strong horizontal connections. Through this project, I received support from many people, and I got ideas from knitters of my generation. I want more people, like I was before, to know about Wakayama knits through this project.
Mixing the sensibilities of the new generation with accumulated techniques to pass them on to the future. MIC TEXTILE's Regeneration, born from the fusion of various generations, X, Y, and Z, is now complete.