We are asked, fairly often, why we do not source our fabrics in Japan. Japan has excellent textile mills. Nishijin for silk, Enshu for cotton, Kiryu for synthetic weaves. The honest answer is that we looked, and we could not find what we needed for swimwear and lingerie specifically. The European mills had been developing performance stretch fabrics for the swimwear and lingerie market for decades longer, and the difference in the finished fabric is real.
What the Lyon mill does ¶
The mill we work with in Lyon. A family operation that has been weaving performance fabrics since the 1970s. Produces a recycled polyamide with a matte finish and a recovery rate that we have not found matched elsewhere. The fabric is woven with a specific elastane content (18%) that gives it stretch in four directions without the shiny, synthetic look of most swimwear fabrics. They also dye to order in small batches, which means we can specify a colourway and receive a consistent result across a run of 40 to 80 metres. Small by their standards, but they have worked with us since 2018 and they accommodate it.
What the Porto mill does ¶
The Porto supplier is newer to us. We found them in 2023 when we were looking for a stretch lace with a specific hand and a scalloped edge that did not require additional trim. The lace is a 32% silk, 68% nylon blend, which gives it a natural sheen that pure nylon lace does not have. The scalloped edge is woven into the fabric, not cut. Which means it does not fray and does not need finishing. We could not find this construction in Japan at any price point that made sense for our production volumes.
The logistics of sourcing from Europe ¶
Sourcing from Europe adds complexity. Lead times are longer. Typically eight to twelve weeks from order to delivery, compared to two to four weeks for a domestic supplier. Shipping costs are higher. Currency fluctuation affects our costs in ways that domestic sourcing would not. We absorb these costs rather than passing them on as a surcharge, because the alternative is to use a different fabric, and we are not willing to do that. The fabrics are the foundation of everything else.
What we are still looking for ¶
We have been searching for a Japanese supplier for our silk charmeuse since 2019. The Kyoto merchant we work with for the Seam Slip Dress sources the fabric from a Chinese mill. It is excellent fabric, but it is not Japanese-made. There are Nishijin weavers who produce silk charmeuse, but the minimum order quantities are beyond what we can commit to at our current production scale. If we grow to the point where we can meet those minimums, we will switch. Until then, we use what works.
Sourcing is not a romantic story about finding the perfect mill on a trip to France. It is a series of practical decisions made under real constraints. We use the fabrics we use because they are the best we have found for the specific things we are making. That is the whole of it.