LOCAL FABRIC is a collaborative textile project by MILLE that brings together the unique strengths of Japan’s regional production areas. By connecting techniques that have traditionally remained separate, the project creates new textile products while cultivating a more sustainable and forward-looking textile landscape.

At its core, LOCAL FABRIC explores the possibilities that emerge when materials, craftsmanship, and regional knowledge intersect. Through careful research and selection of materials and processing techniques, the project leads collaborations across production areas and develops products that carry both technical depth and contemporary relevance.

Crossing Boundaries, Creating Value

By bridging different textile regions and their expertise, LOCAL FABRIC generates products with new value and character. The project focuses on:

• Exploring and selecting materials and processing techniques
• Leading collaborations across different production areas
• Developing and testing products and ways of presenting them

At MONO JAPAN STORE

At MONO JAPAN STORE, we offer a selection of T-shirts created through the LOCAL FABRIC project—garments that embody both technical innovation and everyday comfort.

Loopwheel T-Shirt with Garment Wash

1. Durable Loopwheel Fabric for Everyday Wear

This T-shirt is made using a rare vintage loopwheel knitting machine in Wakayama. Unlike modern circular knitting machines, which can produce 7–8 meters of fabric per hour, loopwheel machines produce only about 1 meter per hour—just enough for a single T-shirt.

While inefficient, this slow process creates a unique texture that cannot be replicated. The fabric is gently knitted without placing unnecessary tension on the yarn, resulting in a soft, airy structure with natural elasticity.

At the same time, the fabric is tightly knitted to ensure durability and opacity, preventing transparency while maintaining a structured feel. Despite its substantial weight, the use of open-end (air-spun) yarn gives the fabric a dry, breathable touch, allowing for comfortable wear even in the height of summer.

2. Garment Washed in a Renowned Water Region

After production, each T-shirt is garment-washed in Saijo, Ehime—known as the “City of Water.” Using soft underground spring water from the Ishizuchi mountain range, the washing process enhances the fabric’s natural qualities.

Two types of enzymes are used to remove oils and impurities from the cotton, allowing the fabric to be finished without the need for chemical softeners. This environmentally conscious process improves absorbency and reduces stickiness from sweat, resulting in a clean, comfortable feel against the skin.

LOCAL FABRIC continues to explore how traditional techniques can be reconnected and reimagined—creating textiles that are not only functional and durable, but also deeply rooted in place, process, and time.