As the name suggests, this is the secondary process of dyeing and washing. After that, the products are arranged in a dryer and neatly folded. Dyeing in particular is a very important process. It would be great if the products were dyed in a nice color, with attention paid to the material.
During the season, with the permission of the president of the dye factory, my partner and I sometimes go into the dye factory early in the morning to work. When we say work, we mean putting the dyed products into the tumble dryer and folding them, but it's quite hard work. (laughs)
Especially in the summer... I'm always amazed at how skillfully the female staff folds clothes in the extremely hot weather. It's so hard to fold clothes in such a hot place! (bitter laugh) It's really hard work.
But working at the factory from early in the morning helps me understand something very important. That is, I can be the first to check the finished product. I can feel the condition of the products by touching them as they come out of the dryer.
This allows us to check the product at the very final stage before it is released to the public.
Me: "This year's sweatshirts are great. They're plumper than usual."
Partner: "You're right, the ribs give it a nice tight fit."
Sometimes I have long conversations with the factory manager.
There are many interesting and entertaining stories.
There are many stories of people who, in a sense, understand the trends of the world better than the manufacturers themselves, who experience the changes in the logistics of goods entering and leaving the factory every year, and see them with their own eyes and touch them with their own hands.