Third-year students from Kumamoto Technical High School visited our factory.

Recently, third-year students from Kumamoto Technical High School visited our Kumamoto factory.

Most of the students told us it was their first time seeing the hat-making process up close. They seemed surprised and fascinated by the atmosphere and meticulousness of a manufacturing site.

Some students were already interested in manufacturing and gave us their honest feedback, saying it was completely different from what they had imagined.

It's often thought that manufacturing today is "reliant on computers," but...

However, in the actual hat-making process, there are many intricate details that cannot be replicated by computers alone.

In particular, our classic wool beret inherits the manufacturing method developed by our founder, Shigeo Hashimoto, using a hand-operated flat knitting machine he built himself. In the process of sewing the hat bodies together, skilled craftsmen painstakingly finish each one by hand, threading them through the needles of a linking machine to ensure beautifully aligned seams and minimize any left-right deviation. We strive for the warmth and precision that only human hands can provide, which machines alone cannot achieve.

We hope that the students who visited were able to witness this "balance between hands and machines" firsthand and experience the depth of manufacturing.

What we want to convey to future generations

Even in today's era, accustomed to computers and digital technology, we believe that communication skills are extremely important, not only for "designers" but also for those involved in production.

The key to creating good products, we believe, lies in whether one can conceptualize designs with an understanding of "if it can actually be made" and "how it will be made."

We ourselves are not just making hats; we are dedicated to spreading the culture of the beret every day.

We will continue to pursue berets that are more comfortable to wear and bring joy just by choosing them.
If any of the students who participated in this factory tour developed even a slight interest in manufacturing, the apparel industry, or especially hat-making, nothing would make us happier.

Even if they don't immediately choose this path, simply knowing "this is what a hat-making site is like" holds great significance for us.

(This content has been translated using automated tools. For full accuracy, please refer to the original Japanese page.)