The name of the shop is “suit,” and knowing Konishi’s background in the men’s clothing industry, one might think that [maemuki suit!] However, what he actually handles is not limited to clothes, but also includes children’s baby carriers, baby wipes, and towels for daily use. What is noteworthy is that all of them are made of towels and gauze fabrics made in Imabari, Japan.
The inspiration came from an encounter with the Imabari Towel Factory in Ehime Prefecture, which is also my mother’s hometown. The factory uses cotton with less pesticides because they think it is important that the farmers who grow the cotton (the raw material for towels) can work safely. They chose hand-picked cotton. He said, “That way, I can take advantage of the potential and feelings of the cotton. I was impressed by his attitude of being so particular about his manufacturing,” he said.
The year was 2010. This was long before the SDGs, which have now become a civil right, became widespread, so the idea itself was pioneering. Inspired by the idea, Konishi asked himself, “Couldn’t I make clothes out of toweling fabric?” He began trial production of an original “towel fabric for shirts” inspired by oxford cloth. Five years later, he has successfully commercialized it! This is the spur to create things the “my way.
Konishi has been making fabrics from an apparel perspective, but a turning point came in 2016. After having a baby, she decided to make baby carriers. He switched the raw materials from pesticide-free cotton to organic cotton grown without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers. He also reconsidered the use of dyes, saying, “It would be a waste to use ordinary towel dyes when using organic yarn. Eventually, they arrived at a method called botanical dyeing, in which dyes are dyed by extracting pigments from plants. Even the plants from which the dyes are extracted are organic! While stoic, Konishi’s ability to think out of the box and excite everyone is his specialty. He decided to make dyes from vegetables and fruits he procures from respected farmers all over Japan, even though plants are plants.
For example, Chardonnay pomace from a winery called Norakuzo in Hokkaido, or carrots picked under the snow at Taro Farm in the snowy mountainous region of Gassan, Yamagata. Basically, we buy from farmers what they cannot ship or what they throw away and give to dye manufacturers.
The result is “Delicious Okurumi. They are safe for children’s skin and good for the environment.
One farmer told us, “When I am working on the farm, I feel like I am doing something good for the environment. A farmer once told me, “When I work on the farm, my life is happy. When you do something that is pleasing to all life, all life will support you. I feel the same way. I want to leave a pleasant environment for my children. That is why I want to make my products as sustainable as possible.
-
Vegetable Okurumi" (SS size) from 440 yen and up, which we continue to produce with the hope of "helping people to be plastic-free at home. The vegetable wrappers can be used to store washed vegetables while draining water. -
Delicious Towel" is dyed with grape pomace after brewing at the winery Nourakura in Hokuto City, Hokkaido. The color of the towel varies depending on the year of harvest. -
Mr. Konishi describes the dyes used for his fabrics as "getting colors from the fields. His casual words are filled with respect for the farmers and their crops. -
The colors are comforting and the pleasant touch soothes the senses. It is said that dyed goods dyed with natural dyes have a relaxing effect because of the shimmering sensation they create," says Konishi. -
Like the baby carriers and towels, the "Delicious Cut and Sew" is finished with a botanical dye. These are made to order, with prices starting at 15,400 yen for long sleeves, tailored one by one from original towel shirt fabric.
In addition to making fabrics and clothes, Mr. Konishi has recently taken over his grandfather’s farm and is growing soybeans. He travels to Ehime every month to grow organic soybeans. Although apparel and agriculture may seem to be at a standstill, if you know Mr. Konishi’s craftsmanship, it is clear that they are connected at the root. As he began to take an interest in food, he met chefs all over Japan who were sincere about their ingredients, and he also had more opportunities to meet farmers and other producers. Recently, he has been holding food events with invited guests, hoping to “provide an opportunity for people in Osaka to get to know such producers and respected chefs who are involved in the manufacturing of “maemuki suit!
I wanted to create an opportunity to think about where, by whom, and in what way the food that makes up our bodies is produced, while enjoying foods from various regions. I wanted to create an opportunity to think about where, by whom, and how the food that makes up our bodies is produced. We want to make it a place where we can learn about our own health, the environment, traceability, and sustainability from our guests through food.”
In January 2025, the guests will be from Kumamoto’s Wine Shokudo Tokiwa for the second year in a row, and in March of the same year from Miyagi’s Cookie Girl, but the venue will always be Hakoya Tsunekichi across the street. Neighborhood collaborations are not limited to this, but also include Rakuradasaka Natto Kobo, located within a 5-minute walking distance. They are making their original “maemuki natto” from home-grown green soybeans and rice straw that grows wild in the same field. Tanimachi, located near the Naniwanomiya Palace, is a relaxed area where business people naturally interact with each other. Both long-established and new stores are not separated, and they cooperate with each other if they share a common interest. It is in such a nostalgic town that Konishi’s straightforward attempts will continue to transcend the boundaries of the stores and be widely disseminated in the future.
Naniwanomiya & I
The best vacant lot with endless ways to play.
For me, Naniwanomiya is the best place to be. On holidays when it is too difficult to go far, I take my family for a picnic with a packed lunch, and on New Year’s Day, I go kite-flying with my children. It is hard to find a place in the center of a city with no power lines. I also had a friend who was a fitness trainer with a studio nearby, and it was nice to spread out sheets and stretch out at Naniwanomiya on a nice day. Well, we tend to have a party afterwards (laughs). What I would like to realize someday is a workshop to dye plants with wild plants picked at Naniwanomiya Palace. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to Naniwanomiya Palace. Let’s go to the park! and touch the plants around you, collect them, and try dyeing them yourself. I would like to try such a tour of Naniwanomiya Palace.
maemuki suit!
-
AddressKyoei Building 1F, 1-5-2 Andoji-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
-
TEL06-6809-5424
-
WEB
OTHER ARTICLES Other Articles
-
1
Osaka Museum of History
Director Kenichi Osawa
For almost 40 years,
we have been looking at this city and Osaka's history!MORE -
2
ippei takei
Desginer Ippei Takei
Creating world-class clothing
from everyday life in Tanimachi 4-chomeMORE -
3
Rakudazaka Natto Kobo
Owner Koichi Itogawa ・ Toshie Itogawa
The form of a natto shop
that has revived in modern OsakaMORE -
4
ASAHISEIHAN Co., Ltd.
Representative Mariko Tsukiyama
Passing down Osaka's proud printing craftsmanship
and paper culture.MORE -
5
Champagne and Natural Wine hapo
Wine Shop SAPOOwner Yukinobu Kunimoto
Founder of "DO THE MORNING,"
who values the connection
between people, stores, and the community.MORE -
6
Hakoya Tsunekichi
Owner Masao Sasai ・ Eri Sasai
A long-established box maker in Osaka
since the Edo period,
practicing a fully sustainable cycle.MORE