Working with colored patterns that change depending on the thread and weave

Said to be the birthplace of cotton cultivation, the Osaka Senshu region developed as the largest white cotton producer in the nation over 600 years ago in the Muromachi period. This cotton production led to the birth of Izumi cotton in the Edo period, which became famous across the nation. In the Heisei period, Izumi cotton moved away from white cloth, focusing on a wide variety of products such as handkerchiefs and shop curtains that utilize a unique waving width (over 50 cm). Established in 1919 ( In 2019 the company celebrated its 100th anniversary), Hirayama Textile Co., Ltd. is a long established dealer of Izumi cotton, currently managed by a third generation company head. The weaving factory consists of 25 looms that have been in continuous operation, weaving Izumi cotton for 50 years. “Weaving patterns are almost universally the same nationwide and across the world. However, by altering the dying method, changing the material texture by altering the thread, we have created a new product,” says CEO Yasuo Hirayama.

Each product in the workshop has an altered weave and thread, producing a line of stoles, clothes, handkerchiefs, and shop curtains with different textures. Using an Izumi cotton base, each product has its own unique expression. The loom takes stringently selected cotton thread, carefully weaving it together with other fiber materials along the axis. With a modern feel, the company’s “Aloha Collection” shirts are carefully dyed by hand using a traditional injection technique particular to Osaka. New products are being created using this long-cultivated Izumi cotton as a base. “Cotton is the most widely used material in human history, given it a working class image. But more than anything I want to make products that can last long,” says Hirayama. Utilizing interesting patterns and altering the expression with different threads and materials, the company continues with this weaving tradition.