Minoh Senba, which flourished as the East's largest commercial complex, has been tossed about by the times and declined 　Second-generation female president establishes a new apparel brand to appeal to the world

2024.07.23 09:30

株式会社アイ・シー・シー

Minoh Semba, Osaka, once flourished as the most prosperous commercial complex in the East, but has since fallen into disrepair with the passing of time. (Head office: Minoh City, Osaka; Representative: Kayo Mizutani), an apparel planning, manufacturing, and sales company that has been in business for 50 years, has launched a new brand with the aim of revitalizing this area, which has attracted renewed attention in recent years. The project has been launched on "Makuake" from Monday, July 22, 2024.

Hokkyu Line Extension Breathes New Life into Minoh Semba

Minoh Semba opened its doors to the public in 1970, the year of the Osaka Expo. The town was called the best commercial complex in the East, with textile wholesalers gathered on a vast area of land equivalent to 19 Hanshin Koshien Stadiums, and the town was full of lively workers. However, after the collapse of the bubble economy, globalization and changes in distribution have reduced the number of textile wholesaler associations from 260 at its peak to about half. Pachinko parlors and condominiums began to be built in the complex, and the town of textiles gradually disappeared.

The Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (Hokkyu) line was extended to Minoh Semba, and two new stations, Minoh Semba Hankudai-mae Station and Minoh Chino Station, were established. The campus of Osaka University was built on the site of a former textile complex, and warehouses were transformed into cafes and places for students to socialize. Today, Minoh Semba is once again attracting the attention of Osaka citizens as a stylishly changing textile town.

A new brand that defines the role of the apparel industry

Our company has a 50-year history with Minoh Semba, with a focus on textiles. We believe that the role of the textile industry and clothing in the future will be to provide "satisfaction by wearing quality products every day, and to give the impression of sophistication while keeping costs low with high durability," and we launched the "Define" brand to "define" this role.

The material is 100% natural silk. It is specially processed so that it can be easily washed at home. Ordinary washable silk is processed to be washable on the surface of the finished yarn or fabric. Our products are more durable and have a superior feel to the skin because the protein molecules of the fiber are "molecularly improved" before they are made into threads, but the production of threads is still small in quantity, so there are still only a few products in the market.

With sustainability in mind, we have created a knit product that is gentle on the skin, will be loved for a long time as daily wear, and has almost no parts that are discarded during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, we have utilized the know-how we have accumulated through years of planning and manufacturing sportswear to create a functional, comfortable, yet fashionable design for the body's movement.

We want to light the fire of the Japanese textile industry again.

The impetus for the new brand project came when the founder's father developed functional ileus of the intestines several years ago and was hospitalized in a hospice. When we learned that people undergoing anti-cancer treatment suffered from sensitive and dry skin, we decided to do something about it as an apparel manufacturer. After much thought and consideration of materials and manufacturing methods, we came up with this product. The product was born out of a desire for his father to "wear something that is good for your body because you wear it every day," and a wish that it would be a gift not only for himself but for his loved ones as well.

Mizutani, the representative of the company, says, "In the 50 years of history of Minoh Senba together, the number of our friends has been decreasing rapidly, and the scenery of the town has completely changed. Together with the new station, we were inspired to launch a new brand in order to rekindle the fire of the Japanese textile industry. We aim to revitalize the textile industry with products made with Japan's advanced technology.

Makuake URL

https://www.makuake.com/project/define/

Period: Monday, July 22, 2024 - Sunday, August 25, 2024