I want to protect nature with washi                                                                            All products shown in the photos are worn by Nekiro.

What is the world's first washi textile?

There are many products using washi, but our company does not apply twisted threads to washi.

We have achieved softness, lightness, and warmth with our unique technology.

Please look at the drape that can be felt from the pictures of our products.

This garment weighs a whopping 256g including shoulder pads and lined buttons!

It is so light that you feel like you are not wearing it even if you are!

The fabric is made of 37% washi with a blend of non-classified fibers.

Quickly absorbs unpleasant perspiration!

Washi does not dissolve in washing or water.

It is exposed to water for a long time in the dyeing process, but there is no problem.

Depending on the product, outerwear should be dry-cleaned.

If you wash it by yourself, please do not soak it in water for a long time, wash it lightly, wring it out lightly and hang it to dry. Avoid tumbler drying

If you soak the garment in water for a long time and tumble dry it, it may shrink.

For our scarves and other products where a little shrinkage is not a concern, normal washing is fine.

Usually, the more times the scarf is washed in the laundry, the softer it becomes and the more it becomes very textured.

Washi becomes soft when it is rubbed. Washing is the same as rubbing Washi.

Also, as described on the HOME page, it has high antibacterial properties.

It was 17 years ago when we started our business of washi weaving, and it was said that it had been 30 years since washi fabric was made by slitting washi into tape and applying twisted yarn.

So it has been 47 years, or about half a century.

Nekiro is a Washi fabric developed by ORIKEN Corporation.

Nowadays, we see artificial materials everywhere, for example many and various kinds of plastics and synthetic fibers.
These help our daily life conveniently, however in a flood of such products, we are blind to the beauties and preciousness of nature.
It is a cue to think "return to nature" !
To remind everybody about wonderful products of nature, we got an idea to develop new cloth woven with natural materials, rayon and washi.
Rayon is well known material made from natural cellulose　(carbon hydrate).
Handmade washi is made from bark of some kinds of tree, Manila hemp is used for machine-made washi.

Washi products can be found everywhere, quality letter paper, interior decorations like wall paper, lamp shade, sliding doors in Japanese rooms, etc.
Fiber of washi can hold moisture, so that it can keep ambient humidity properly by absorbing and emitting moisture like breathing.
Additionally, odor is dissolved by the moisture in the fiber.

After long weaving trial we have achieved to get comfortable feel of the fabric, and named it Nekiro.
It is woven with rayon as warp and rayon/washi alternately as weft.
The weft washi is supplied as narrow tape of various width depending on the products, and is inserted as it is, not twisted (!).
This exclusive weaving technology gives the cloth gentle and smooth feel and harmless to human skin and good finish if dyed.
Such merit motivated some clothing companies recently to introduce Nekiro for various apparel.

Because of the natural material, it doesn't cause any environmental destructions at disposal.
Washi in the cloth is not weakened by washing if washing machine is used (select "soft" or similar program).

are expecting our Nekiro We akes all the people in the world smile !
Try its gentle and smooth feel !!

Thank you.

Chiyoko KAMEI
ORIKEN Co., Ltd.