Do you know what percentage of knitwear distributed in the Japanese market in 2014 was made in Japan? Around 20%? The answer is actually one-twentieth of that. Only about 0.5%. The overseas relocation of apparel production, which began in the late 1990s, dealt a devastating blow to Japan's knitwear production centers, which were mostly OEM (original equipment manufacturer) businesses. Fifteen years later, knitwear production centers such as Gosen and Mitsuke in Niigata, Date in Fukushima, Ashikaga in Tochigi, Ota in Gunma, Ryogoku in Tokyo, and Wakayama have somehow managed to hang on, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to carry out all processes related to knitwear production within the region. However, there is a small production center that can handle all processes within the region: the Yamagata region, centered around Sagae City. Let's take a look at an example of a region that has broken away from its reliance on OEMs and successfully launched its own brand business, a business that is said to be difficult to succeed in. Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, is home to a unique spinning and knitwear company with a product-oriented approach (product development and production that prioritizes the creator's vision). The company, called Sato Seni, is astonishing Japan and the world with three things: (1) unique yarns not found anywhere else in the world; (2) a colorful, high-quality original brand reminiscent of an upended paint palette; and (3) a high-end select shop called "GEA," which opened this year on the company's headquarters grounds. I visited President Masaki Sato at the Sagae headquarters. President Sato's opening remarks were, "We are creating something that has never been seen before in European history." The company's core business is spinning, where it develops special yarns by searching for unique raw materials from around the world. The company boasts a unique "trial spinning room" where samples are made, staffed by skilled craftsmen specialized in yarn development. Here, the company produces unique and original yarns, including 30-color gradient yarns, 14-micron ultra-fine wool, and the finest baby alpaca yarns. "Europe has great manufacturers, such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Loro Piana, and the knitwear brand John Smedley, that have been creating high-quality products from scratch. Even China can now produce similar products at low cost, but they can't compete with the brand power that these companies have built up over the years. So I decided to compete in a different area from the European companies..."

When Sato Seni first exhibited at the European yarn and textile exhibition "Pitti Filati" in 2007, material managers from several brands harshly criticized the company, saying, "This is not yarn." The biggest feature of the yarn spun by Sato Seni is that it is "unbalanced, in a good way." This was the rejection they received precisely because it was a yarn that had never existed before. However, once they began doing business with Europe's leading fashion houses, their reputations changed completely. "Ten years ago, we were a strange company proposing unusual yarns, but that changed about five years ago. Now we are becoming recognized as a company that makes unique, high-quality yarns, the world's most expensive," says President Sato confidently. The company first came into the spotlight as the company that produced the yarn for the Nina Ricci sweater worn by Mrs. Obama at the presidential inauguration, and is now valued by numerous luxury brands as an indispensable partner for knitwear.

The company's other core business is the development and sale of its own brands. Its flagship brand, "M.&KYOKO," launched in 2001, is characterized by complex textiles made with Sato Seni's original yarn, soft feminine silhouettes, and vibrant multicolored designs. Its innovative designs have garnered many fans, and it is gaining popularity in Europe and the United States, particularly among artists and freelancers. It operates 12 stores in Japan, primarily in department stores, and boasts an exceptional sales volume for a brand originating from a production area. In addition to the knit yarn brand "MASAKI," "FUGA FUGA" targeted at adult women, "clothoir" offering real clothes, and "noeud" offering everyday knitwear, the company operates six other brands, and has grown to a scale that could be called knit apparel. What each brand has in common is that they do not chase after what is selling, but rather make what they want to make. "We place importance on communicating through our manufacturing, and have no intention of setting trends," says President Sato. This is a philosophy that is shared with the production of yarn.

■Interview and text by Masuda Kaijiro (fashion journalist)