Development that takes advantage of wholesale store networks

Even in the apparel accessories sector, companies are pushing forward one after another to drive sales in Western markets. Kaji Tech Co., LTD., which manufactures plastic buttons, is a new contender in these markets. By harnessing the wide range of technologies available only in Japan, it has developed original products in rapid succession that are rich in functionality and design, and strengthened its efforts to engage new markets by promoting the unique character of its products.

Coexistence of creativity and functionality

Products such as plastic stock snap buttons are the pillar of Kaji Tech’s business. It has launched plastic snaps as a light, safe, and secure product that is unlike metal buttons, and is developing a stable clientele in Japan that includes leading apparel manufacturers and specialty chain stores.

Particularly in the baby product market, where safety is a major concern, the trend of growing support not only from the domestic market, but also from markets such as China, is gaining momentum. While metal buttons are still the mainstream product used in Western markets, these markets are gradually becoming more aware of the safety of plastic buttons. Two years ago, Kaji Tech set up a sales office in the United States. It has begun to attract interest, and its participation in Premiere Vision has further accelerated the sale of plastic buttons in Western markets.

It is also expanding sales by proposing products that it has developed for the casual apparel market such as jeans, including the heat-resistant Sun Button Snap, which is designed to look like threads have been sewn onto the surface of the button, and Sun Metal Snap, which is a plastic snap with a plated surface to bring out a vintage feel.

Shindo Co., Ltd. has developed and proposed in rapid succession narrow-width materials that are fashionable and functional in the area of ribbons, tape, and other materials. Its 100% polyester ribbon with a hemp-like quality, as well as stretchable binder knitted tape, exude the character of natural materials that one would have considered impossible for polyester, and have been developed as materials that are usable throughout the season.

Wool knitted binder tape made with lame (Shindo)

The Pleated Stretch Tape, which gives full play to its rugged and uneven feel, is a double-layered tape with a pleated wave-like fabric layered on top of a stretchable material at the base. These are woven together into a single material when the fabric is woven. It is used as an adjuster. The Y-shaped Knitted Stretch Tape is a tape with a layer of fabric sewn and sandwiched into the middle to prevent fraying at the cuffs and other parts of the clothing. The Y-shape is produced by two separate pieces of materials—the top is sandwiched with a single piece of thick tape, while the bottom is a thin piece of fabric.

Unlike other tapes before it, the fabric that is sandwiched is thin and made to be almost fully flat after sewing, producing a finish that is close to being seamless. All of these are new products oriented toward the sports market.
Some of the materials that it has developed with a focus on fashion sensibility include flat tape and cords made of polyester Raschel chenille, a lame knitted binder tape made with a wool composite material, and Leavers Trimming Lace, which is a decorative narrow-width lace designed in a motif inspired by ancient Egypt and made from lame yarn with a base of gold and silver yarns that bring out the gorgeous character of the lace.