One day, a regular customer came into the store.
I have known this customer for many years. She loves clothes, and we have lively conversations about clothes every time she comes to the store. She is also a grandmother with a two-year-old grandchild.
That day, she brought me some clothes that she had worn herself and that she had dressed her children in 30 years ago. Those clothes were from a children's clothing brand that I had worked for when I first started working.

Me: "Wow, this is Mr. X's clothing! The fabric is amazing! It's really well done!"

Customer: "This is a piece of clothing my daughter wore 30 years ago. It's sturdy, right? It's still perfectly wearable and has a nice feel to it. Nowadays, even fast fashion is made to last 10 years, but the way the fabric is handled is different. It looks cool, doesn't it? I wonder why?"

As I listened to this story, I suddenly remembered the clothes I wore when I was in elementary school.

"Wow, when I was in elementary school, I always wore your clothes,"

Looking back 30 years ago, the quality of Japanese children's clothing manufacturers was said to be the best in the world, and I think the children's clothing of that time was made of very strong fabrics.
Of course, there are many good fabrics available today, but the process of making them and the type of quality are different... We thought that perhaps the roots of the products we are making now may be in the clothes we wore as children.

What's more, my partner was working with American vintage clothing from 40 to 50 years ago that is now rare, and it was a time when 100% cotton was the norm, so fabrics that were made with time and effort were probably durable and comfortable to wear.

I will never forget the words the customer said to me after making a purchase as he was leaving.

Customer: "Thank you again today! Oh, by the way, my grandson is 2 years old, and when I asked him to pick up his favorite clothes from the laundry, he only picked up clothes from here! I wonder why that is? He's only 2 years old!"

Me: "Really? I'm so happy! A 2-year-old is choosing it for me!"