#1 Repairing Holes in Merino Wool

Hello, my name is Ichiro Kitajima, in charge of prototyping and repair at Yamatomichi.

I used to spend my days silently cutting fabrics in a corner of my atelier in Harajuku, but since I was fortunate enough to join Yamatomichi, I have been working with wonderful colleagues and appreciating being able to live surrounded by nature.

Recently, one of the inquiries we often receive from customers is about holes in our merino wool products. Merino wool, a natural fiber, has excellent properties such as excellent temperature and humidity control and deodorizing functions, but it also has the weakness of being prone to holes due to thread breakage caused by insect bites and friction.

I was very pleased with the comfort of our Light Merino T-shirt but after wearing it for about two weeks, I noticed a small hole in the shoulder. I tried to forget about it for a moment, but the hole was still there the next day.

I was shocked, but at the same time a question came to my mind. Where in the world did this hole come from?　When I asked Mr. Matsumoto of our research team about the cause of the hole, he told me that it was probably insects. When had I ever lived with such insects?　

I then regained my composure by thinking of the hole as “a message to remind me that I am in the cycle of nature.

The changes that occur over time as gear is fascinating. I think that through repair, we can make great use of our gear and become more attached to the piece of equipment and feel the circle of life. The holes in the merino wool gave me a chance to realize this.

Merino wool has wonderful functionality that cannot be achieved with synthetic fibers. In order to spend a longer time together, it is important to get along well with the holes. Wool, the only clothing of sheep, is filled with wisdom for living in harmony with the nature. Using the natural characteristics of wool, there is a fun way to repair holes in merino wool. We hope you will find it useful as one way to deal with holes.

Raw wool is covered with scales, and when heat, pressure, or vibration is applied, the scales interlock with each other and become entangled and cannot be separated, a phenomenon known as “felting.”

Holes in merino wool knit products such as the Light Merino T-Shirts series and Merino Hoody can be repaired by felting, a technique in which the raw wool is pierced together with a felting needle and then hardened.

Using the felting technique, yu can easily add embroidery to repair holes in wool knit products.

When our staff member Kimura participated in a 95-km mountain race wearing the Merino Sleeveless T-Shirt, he found a hole where he had attached his bib with a pin.

He repaired it with the felting technique using different colors. The result was a more personal piece of gear that is filled with memories of his race.

We offers repairs with wool dyed in the same color as our products.

We repair for ￥500 (per hole) + tax + round-trip shipping.
Please refer to About Repair found below for furthur information.