This was last year, but we visited Kanekichi Kogyo together with members of the New Balance team based in Boston. As the timing has reached a point where we can begin to talk about it, I would like to share this now. Those with a sharp eye may have already noticed, but initiatives are finally getting underway toward 2027.

As it was the first time for them to see a TSURIAMIKI knitting machine, President Minakata provided a detailed explanation.

By spending time together with the team, it became clear that they are people who are deeply committed to making things. While there are aspects that are very difficult to grasp in a short time, such as the structure of the TSURIAMIKI knitting machine, I feel that they were able to gain some sense of how repeatedly the craftspeople on site challenge themselves, repeat failures, and use those experiences as a foundation to create new techniques.

President Minakata is explaining the principles of knitting using a device he made himself.

They were taught the technique for joining broken threads and tried it themselves.

It looks simple, but it is quite difficult, and without being able to do this, one cannot become a TSURIAMI craftsman. This is said to be the very first technique learned upon joining Kanekichi Kogyo. Craftspeople truly possess skills in their hands, and it made me think again that this is work that will not disappear even in the age of AI. The sweatshirts born from this initiative with New Balance are something we hope will excite everyone, so while it is still a long way off, we would be happy if you look forward to it. @Satoshi Suzuki