Description
A face towel made of 60% cotton and 40% linen.
Most towels are made of 100% cotton, but by mixing them with linen, they become more durable and quick-drying.
Increasing the hemp content increases durability and quick-drying properties, but this also reduces water absorption, making the texture more crisp and hard, and making it more sticky when it absorbs water.
Considering the balance of water absorption, durability, and quick drying, we settled on a blend of 60% cotton and 40% linen.
The waffle weave, which is also the name of the product, has excellent water absorbency, the threads do not easily come off, and it dries quickly.
Not only can you use it while hiking, but you can also use it in hot springs, public baths, and saunas after descending the mountain.
Use it for everyday use, or as a companion when traveling.
When you first use it, it has a characteristically crisp feel, but the more you use it, the more supple it becomes.
Please enjoy the changes over time.
There is a loop-shaped woven label in the center of the back, so you can hang it on your backpack with a carabiner.
The packaging for ``Waffle Towel'' is made of high-density polyethylene and is thick enough to withstand a certain amount of use. The opening of the bag also has a zipper, so you can use it to store small items even after removing the towel.
Story
I've always used synthetic microfiber towels for hiking. Microfiber towels are highly absorbent, quick drying, and lightweight, making them very useful when you want to lighten your luggage. However, when I used it several times, I felt itching on my skin.
When using it, I sometimes felt a "catch feeling" on my skin.
Microfiber is made of very fine fibers. This means that each fiber is thin and pointed. Therefore, I don't think it is recommended for babies' delicate skin. Even adults have sensitive skin. I've always been like that.
When I wore microfiber innerwear, my arms, where there is a lot of friction with the skin, were always itchy and red.
As I was thinking about what kind of towel I would want to use myself, I wanted to try making one. The material used is natural fiber rather than synthetic fiber. It's as light as possible, durable, and highly absorbent, and above all, you'll want to use it every day. It was such a towel.
Speaking of towels, Imabari is the place to go.
I contacted several towel manufacturers in Imabari and asked them about their production conditions, but all of them far exceeded the number of lots that a small manufacturer like us could request.
Just when we were about to give up and think we should leave it until we grow a little more, we found one towel manufacturer that was willing to produce small batches. I was introduced to...
Finally, we arrived at Kobo Oriza, who was able to make RIDGE MOUNTAIN GEAR and towels.
Collaborateur
Collaborateur introduces the people who produce the products.
The same sound of shuttles echoing in the mountains of Imabari for 100 years Onihara, Tamagawa Town, is located in the mountains of Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture.
Kobo Oriza is located in a small village surrounded by rice fields on the banks of the Sosha River in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. In this land rich in nature, while inheriting the history of Imabari's cotton textiles, we have uniquely modified a 100-year-old shuttle loom to enable new weaving and shape ideas. continues to create.
It seems that the craftsmen working here were also born and raised in this area.
“Special textiles born from 100-year-old looms”
Kobo Oriza uses old looms from 100 years ago.
We search for and collect obsolete old looms from all over the country that have been forgotten over time, disassemble them, carefully polish the usable parts, and spend several years restoring one out of several.
RIDGE MOUNTAIN GEAR towels are woven using one of these machines, the very rare Murahide loom, a shuttle loom from the mid-Showa period made by a manufacturer in Imabari.
In the era of mass production and mass consumption, Kobo Oriza seems to be going backwards, going back to its origins.
The reason why it feels a little nostalgic may be because it uses machines from a long time ago, and a lot of human work has gone into it. The fabrics are created using slow looms that produce a texture close to that of hand-woven fabrics, and are finished using detailed handwork.
We wash them gently depending on the material and weave, and let them dry naturally in the shade to avoid putting stress on the fibers.
Each towel is woven gently and slowly using this rare and unique loom without putting any stress on the threads, resulting in an extremely soft texture.
I actually visited Kobo Oriza and toured the factory and looms.
With the help of Kobo Oriza, we have created the best towels.
March 2005 After Masatoshi Takeda retires from his previous job, he travels around the country to textile production areas and collects unique old-style looms. He restored the looms he had collected and continued to improve them, completing the original kimono single row loom.
November 2005 Established "Kobo Oriza". Focusing on cotton mufflers,
Started planning, manufacturing and selling original products such as watch caps and shawls.
May 2007 Opened factory shop.
August 2007: Succeeded in developing and commercialized the world's first "vertical wobble mojiri weave".
January 2009 Selected as a certified company for the "Local Resource Utilization Project".
September 2009 "Silk Peacock Silk Stole" was selected at the "Sensitive Value Creation Museum in KOBE".
November 2009 Succeeded in developing slanted weave and commercialized it.
April 2010: Announcement of stall brand "ITO" in collaboration with graphic designer SPREAD.
October 2010 Established "Kobo Oriza Co., Ltd."
January 2012 Selected as "COOL JAPAN WAO Crafts Renaissance".
October 2013: Ehime Prefecture Excellent Resource Recycling Model Certification: Certified as an excellent recycling business.
August 2014: Succeeded in developing a pile gauze shawl using an original loom that is a smaller version of a towel loom.
July 2015 Selected for the "MORE THAN Project" and started exporting to Europe.
Selected for THE WONDER 500 in August 2015 (ITO FLASH LIGHT).
We consistently place importance on quality, usability, and design that is hard to get tired of as something that can be used on a daily basis. Also, I am conscious of designing to bring out the "texture" of the threads and fabrics, rather than the colors and patterns. Modern looms are mainly large-scale equipment that can produce large quantities of products with the same appearance, but at Kobo Oriza, we do not believe that non-uniformity is a bad thing, and that non-uniformity itself is natural and interesting. I think it gives people a sense of nostalgia, intimacy, and excitement.
Material: 60% Cotton, 40% Hemp
Size: 35cm × 75cm
Weight: 73g
Country of Origin: Japan
Producer: Workshop Oriza, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture
