JAPANESE shirtmaker, Kamakura Shirts, has launched its first premium pure white shirt product made from Australian cotton following a collaboration with the industry body, Cotton Australia. The partnership came to fruition thanks to the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement and support from the Consulate-General of Australia in Osaka. The company has been making shirts since 1993 at its garment factories in Japan. Although dress shirts are not originated from Japan, Japan is a country where we get inspired by many western cultures worldwide since the beginning of the Meiji era. Dress shirts were one of them. Kamakura Shirts has become an icon of dress shirts, and we provide our customers with better shirts and service that surpasses expectations.
The company typically used extra-long-staple cotton for its shirts and had to find new ways to spin Australian materials into the fabric. After three years of research, the shirtmaker developed a new spinning technology to ensure that even shorter yarns, commonly produced in Australia, could be used for their shirts.
Adam Kay, Cotton Australia’s chief executive officer, said the launch was another example of the global demand for premium Australian cotton. We are pleased to work with these Japanese companies and Austrade in bringing these new shirts to market, and we welcome inquiries from all manufacturers who are trying to find the best cotton for their products.
Trevor Holloway, Australian Consul General in Osaka, said the launch was built on the strong economic relationship between Australia and Japan. He said it recognized that Australia’s cotton industry, while complying with the world’s strictest certification standards, also places sustainability at the very core of its business. Over many years, producers have been developing innovative technologies and accumulating the know-how needed to improve quality and reduce the resources used to achieve the highest crop yields and proudly deliver world-class Australian cotton.
