The Planning Department, where I work, is primarily responsible for textile design. When you think of a textile designer, you might imagine someone who draws original textile patterns, but we work more like architects, giving shape to the textiles our customers want to create. Makita Shoten is a textile factory, so we first ask customers what kind of textile they want to use, and then decide on the texture and materials. There are many different types of thread, from natural to synthetic fibers, and the texture and image of the fabric can change dramatically depending on how the thread is used, the pattern, the weave, and the weave method (weaving method). The combinations are endless, so there are many things you won't know until you try them each time.

Once the plan is finalized, we begin designing the weave. While this may not be familiar to most people, the design progresses by filling in grids like a bitmap. While fabrics are typically designed using only warp and weft threads, the combination of these threads determines the color and texture, so the data is created on a computer screen. Getting the weave wrong can result in a fabric that isn't what we envisioned, so we proceed with caution. Once the customer's order is finalized, we begin preparing the threads. If there are pre-prepared warp threads, the process goes smoothly. However, if there aren't, a fabric preparation step, called warping (pulling the required number of warp threads to the same length), is required. Furthermore, if the color needs to be changed, a dyer will need to dye it. Changing the dyed thread, such as cotton, cupra, or polyester, will change the color of the finished thread, so a sense of color is also necessary.

Recently, I've been meeting more and more customers at fabric exhibitions such as PTJ (Premium Textile Japan) and FABRICa NIPPON . Talking to customers directly and letting them touch Makita Shoten's textiles helps to create lively conversations. I also find it important to visit clothing exhibitions to understand what kind of clothing the textiles we make have been made into. The way the textile drapes can create a very different look, from a dressy atmosphere to a feminine image, so I've recently been uploading videos to Instagram of textiles wrapped around a torso to help designers visualize the textiles more easily. I hope you'll take a look.