News
Haruyama Trading Co., Ltd. (Haruyama Trading) and Kuraray Trading Co., Ltd. (Kuraray Trading）have jointly developed a new brand of men's formal wear that uses a new material that takes advantage of the latest synthetic fiber technology. Haruyama Trading will make the new "f2stage" brand available from October 6, 2008.
The "f" of the new f2stage product brand now being introduced by Haruyama refers to "formal" while "2" connotes the "next generation." This new formal wear is being proposed as a brand "that takes another look at the essence of fashion to create something new," and we hope it will be worn by people of the next generation. Sales targets are for ¥1 billion in the first year, and for ¥3 billion in the third year.
In addition, as one element of its efforts with regard to the environment, Haruyama Trading stores will accept customers' return of used products made of this new material for reuse. The products will undergo thermal recycling at Kuraray's Kurashiki Plant to transform them into a solid fuel for use as a coal substitute to generate electricity, thereby saving resources.
Before launching this brand, we conducted thorough research into consumer needs, the results of which revealed that, together with lustrous black formal wear with elasticity for a comfortable fit, demand existed from people who wanted "fabric that repels the lint that easily stands out against a black background." This new material features high repellency to such lint as well as resistance to damage by insects and to stains and wrinkles.
This new material offers comfortable elasticity and moderate firmness thanks to the use of a multiple component type elastic filament that incorporates two varieties of polymer in its core fiber. In addition, the fiber features a nano-level surface structure of countless microscopic holes that are highly effective in diffusing reflectivity and thus realizing a deep, lustrous blackness. Moreover, by integrating CLACARBO—an electrically conductive fiber made of electrically conductive carbon—into this fabric, we have actively eliminated static electricity by utilizing the "coronal discharge" phenomenon, which is the dispersal of minute electrical discharges to repel lint and keep it from settling on the fabric surface.
Haruyama Trading and Kuraray Trading continue to pursue development based on a uniform basic concept, namely, "to develop high-quality formal wear that incorporates the comfortable characteristics of polyester." We offer this high-quality formal wear to be worn by people of today's generation for the comfort that comes from an elasticity that is 1.5 times that of traditional materials, an ability to repel lint and its British style enhanced by deep, lustrous blackness on par with wool in appearance.
Ten Unique Characteristics of "f2stage"
- 1. Wrinkle resistance
- Compared with traditional materials, significantly enhanced resistance to wrinkling due to improvements at the polyester filament level
- 2. Insect resistance
- No need to worry about insect damage with polyester
- 3. Stain resistance
- Strong stain resistance comes from water and oil repellant processing
- 4. Lustrous black color
- Using a world-leading technology developed by Kuraray, at the nano-level the polyester filament structure features a surface of microscopic holes. This provides a highly efficient level of light diffusion to realize a deep, lustrous blackness on par with that provided by traditional wool.
Typical dyed wool L=13.2 New material L=9.9 (wool used by Haruyama Trading) - 5. Comfortable elasticity
- Enhanced comfort with two-way elasticity that is 1.5 times that of traditional materials
Traditional materials crosswise 0% × lengthwise 7.5% New material crosswise 8.5% × lengthwise 12.5% - 6. Lint repellant
- Integrating CLACARBO—an electrically conductive fiber composed of electrically conductive carbon—into this fabric reduces the volume of lint that is attracted. This is different from post-processing in that there is no impact from the surrounding environment and ability to repel lint is maintained.
- 7. Antimicrobial interior
- An antimicrobial and deodorant is applied to the garments' intricate Jacquard weave lining
- 8. Easy to wear and lightweight
- Cupra rayon, a fabric 10% lighter than traditional materials, is added to sleeve linings to make them easier to slip in and out of
- 9. Natural texture
- Natural qualities similar to wool are achieved by using a special configuration of two types of polyester filaments whose individual fibers have been microcrimped to mimic the characteristics of natural materials.
- 10. Full-fledged British style
- The shaping of the shoulders, built-up sleeve head, high notch position and the slim-cut waist reflect the aristocratic traditions of England, making these suits the epitome of formal wear.
"f2stage" Product Information
| Product design | Single-breasted suits |
|---|---|
| Availability | On sale at all 250 Haruyama stores from October 6 |
| Price | ¥49,350 (including tax) |
| Sales targets | 20,000 suits in the first year; approximately ¥1 billion 60,000 suits after three years; approximately ¥3 billion |
| Material | 100% polyester |
Haruyama Trading Co., Ltd.
| 1. President | Masashi Haruyama |
|---|---|
| 2. Headquarters | Omote-cho 1-2-3, Okayama City |
| 3. Net sales | ¥59.1 billion (year ended March 31, 2008) |
| 4. Capital | ¥3.9 billion (as of end March 2008) |
| 5. Employees | 1,374 (as of end March 2008) |
| 6. Principal businesses | Retail sales of men's apparel (and some women's apparel) and products peripheral to men's apparel |
Kuraray Trading Co., Ltd.
| 1. President | Osamu Asaba |
|---|---|
| 2. Headquarters | 1-1-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| 3. Net sales | ¥126.0 billion (year ended March 31, 2008) |
| 4. Capital | ¥2.2 billion (as of end March 2008) |
| 5. Employees | 336 (as of end March 200) |
| 6. Principal businesses | Sale of fiber and textile materials, fiber and textile products, chemicals and chemical products |
