The challenge of a knit production area that has continued for 100 years. The third installment of the "WAKAYAMA KNIT PROJECT" is now being held at Daikanyama Tsutaya.

Do you know where knitwear has been produced and has supported the Japanese fashion industry for over 100 years? The answer is Wakayama Prefecture.

Centered in Wakayama Prefecture, the "WAKAYAMA KNIT PROJECTThis weekend, an exhibition and sales event will be held at Daikanyama Tsutaya DAIKANYAMA T-SITE GARDEN GALLERY.

The following is a brief introduction.

As the largest producer of circular knitting fabrics in Japan, Wakayama Prefecture has been supplying high-quality materials to luxury brands around the world for over 100 years. In recent years, however, the percentage of domestically produced products in the domestic apparel market has declined to only 1.41 TP10T.

The "WAKAYAMA KNIT PROJECT" was launched in 2023 amidst a situation in which the succession of craftsmen's skills and culture cultivated over many years is in jeopardy. The WAKAYAMA KNIT PROJECT is not merely an industrial support program, but also a challenge for culture, creation, and revival of the production area, proposing new values to the media, designers, buyers, and consumers in Japan and abroad.

This is the third in a four-day exhibition and sales event that will be held from October 31 (Friday) to November 3 (Monday, national holiday). Dozens of factories in Wakayama are making products based on fabrics developed by each of them, but there is one common material used by all of them. It is a long-established factory that has been in business for more than 85 years, "A-GirlsLOTUS" is an original material developed by "LOTUS". The ultimate in comfort.

At this event, in addition to the display and sale of such knit products, there will also be workshops where visitors can experience more of the goodness of knitwear. Please check the information for details.

Finally, a message from Tomohiro Yamashita, who represents the project and "A-Girls.

We want to brand the Wakayama knitwear production area and boost the local industry; the knitting techniques and unique processing skills that have continued for over 100 years are Japanese assets that cannot be easily imitated. Through this project, we will transmit our responsibility and hope for the future as a production center, how to pass on the knowledge and skills of our craftsmen to the next generation and how to evolve them.
- WAKAYAMA KNIT PROJECT / A-GIRLS Representative Tomohiro Yamashita