Vol.46

Non-negotiable policy in towel "design" learned from the representative

Planning and design, which determines what kind of towels will be produced, is the starting point for all towel production. The current president (Keiji Ikeuchi) and Mr. Sogabe (currently manager of the Business Promotion Office) used to play this role, but it has now been taken over by Mr. Yano, manager of the Product Development & Design Section. We asked Mr. Yano to tell us what he is conscious of in his daily work in planning and design.

Product Development and Design Section Manager Yano

Design” work is not a simple task

My name is Yano, and I am in charge of product development and quality control at the Imabari Head Office Factory.

In a word, “design” is the job of deciding “what kind of towels to make.

Basically, IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s manufacturing process starts with a proposal from the president, Mr. Ikeuchi, who says, “I want to do something like this, so design it like this. At that stage, the design may have been decided to some extent, or it may be just an image. It is my role to incorporate this into a neat design.

Should I use thin or thick threads? Even if the same yarn is used, the texture of the towel will vary depending on the number of times it is twisted. A loose twist makes the towels softer, while a tight twist gives them a crisp, firm feel.

Other factors include whether the pile should be short or long. Also, whether the pile is shortened or lengthened, and the density of the yarn used for twisting can make a significant difference in the texture of the towel.

For example, although “Organic 120” and “Organic 140” are positioned as brothers based on the same “Organic 1,” the former uses a standard yarn of 20 count, while the latter uses two twisted yarns of 40 count, half the fineness of the former. The former uses a standard 20 count yarn, while the latter uses two 40 count yarns, half as fine as the standard 20 count yarns, twisted together.

However, when we put the design numbers into the towels based on Ikeuchi’s idea of “this is the kind of towel I want to make,” there are of course times when it becomes difficult to manufacture the towels in reality.

If we focus too much on ideals, we may end up with a product that has productivity problems, and if we focus too much on reality, we may end up with towels that are no different from existing products. The most exciting part of the process is finding the right balance between the two.

I am very sorry for this, but at the same time I am very encouraged by the adjustments that everyone in the production team has to make, always aiming for the very edge.

No matter what kind of towels you make, be true to the basics.

Generally speaking, towel planning and design often involves the use of new functional yarns and other innovations to give towels individuality.

However, at IKEUCHI ORGANIC, we make our products using only organic materials. We use only two main types of yarn: organic cotton or bamboo rayon. Therefore, in our case, it is difficult to differentiate our products by the functionality of the yarns.

Texture, absorbency, and durability.

We are committed to faithfully manufacturing these basic elements of towels. Then, we give each product number its own individuality. I feel that this is our unique way of designing.

In this regard, I was particularly impressed when we produced towels in collaboration with The Beatles, of whom Ikeuchi is a big fan.

In the case of jacquard weaving, the graphics look better when the pile is shorter and the density of the weave is higher. On the other hand, if the pile is shortened, water absorbency decreases, and if the density is high, the feel is a little harder. While various factors were in a trade-off relationship, we thought that graphics should be the top priority for this project, and we considered using a short pile and high density, which had never been done before.

However, when I suggested this direction to Ikeuchi, he said firmly, “If the functionality of the towel is reduced, then there is no point. That is the kind of towel we wanted to make.

It must have been Ikeuchi himself, a big fan of the Beatles, who was the most particular about reproducing the Beatles’ design perfectly. Even so, he said that the first priority was the perfection of the towel as a towel. No matter what the project, a towel is still a towel, and he remains faithful to the basics of what a towel is.

I understood that this was Ikeuchi’s non-negotiable policy as a craftsman.

Inheriting technology and expanding manufacturing possibilities

In recent years, some of Ikeuchi’s ideas have been challenging towels that have taken a step outside of the conventional IKEUCHI ORGANIC.

For example, “Organic 140 Light,” released last year, uses a technique called “shirring processing. The surface is a pile fabric and the reverse side is a shirred fabric, allowing customers to enjoy both textures in this towel.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, we have produced towels with colorful colors and patterns that have never been produced by IKEUCHI ORGANIC before, to match the world view of the collaborators in collaborative products such as The Beatles.

Perhaps some people may think that towels with patterns or shirring are “not like IKEUCHI. However, as an Imabari towel company, we feel that passing on such techniques will expand the possibilities of manufacturing.

Over the past 20 years, we have been pursuing the production of towels using organic yarns. It is precisely because we have built on this experience that we are now able to take on new challenges while maintaining our respect for towels and organic towels.

It seems that Ikeuchi still has many more things he wants to create in his mind.

It will not be easy to give shape to them, but I would like to continue making products that are unique to IKEUCHI ORGANIC together with everyone at the company and the cooperating factories that help us.

Interview July 2023
Photographer / Yuji Kimura