Pristine’s tenugui towels pave future for Japanese organic cotton

Organic cotton is one of the most sustainable fabrics around, as it is produced without the use of toxic chemicals. This means it leaves less of an environmental footprint compared to conventional cotton. Cotton farmers also benefit from its production process, as they would otherwise be exposed to the chemicals in the field. Japan has been taking a long break from cotton production since the Meiji era when cheap foreign cotton was introduced. Currently, Japan’s self-sufficiency rate of cotton is almost 0%.

However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find any cotton fields in Japan. In Fukushima, organic cotton production started in 2012 as a way to utilize abandoned farmland, the availability of which was escalated by the traumatic earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Local NPO The People, as well as volunteers, see this cotton production as an opportunity for the region to create new business infrastructure and jobs.

Sustainable fashion brand designs traditional item with organic cotton

To support Fukushima’s emerging cotton production, organic cotton fashion brand Pristine launched a Japanese-cotton-infused tenugui towel. Tenugui is a lightweight Japanese towel that offers countless usages. The name tenugui comes from the words “hand” and “wipe.” You can literally use it as a handkerchief, but even as a headscarf and gift-wrapper. Moreover, you can also use it for room decor, as Pristine’s organic cotton towels are designed with beautiful black-and-white paintings of the Japanese Thistle.

Pristine is owned by Tokyo-based company Avanty, which is known for its organic cotton business. The company takes pride in offering high-quality organic cotton products manufactured in Japan. Although the company currently still relies on imported raw organic cotton, all the other processes, such as yarn making, cloth weaving and stitching, are carefully done by craftsmen in Japan.

The company also values natural products that are friendly to the environment and people. Therefore, no dyes are used, and most of their products come with the colors derived only from the natural hues of the cotton. This idea is also applied to the tenugui towel. Its off-white color comes from the brownish Japanese cotton they use. The company says that only 5% of the cotton in the towel is made in Japan at the moment, reflecting on its harvest. But they anticipate greater usage of Japanese cotton as its harvests increase. This would produce towels with higher brown cotton content eventually.

Emiko Yoshida from The People believes Fukushima is determined to cultivate sustainable farming, especially after the prefecture suffered the unprecedented disaster in 2011. While Fukushima’s organic cotton project is at an early stage, support from Avanty will help them spread this idea to a wider audience.