In autumn of 2025 I entered a 6 week internship at Tailor Shinya, with Mr. Daisuke Kunieda as the head of the workshop. Daisuke, as the master of the workshop, took care of most costumer support, pattern drafting and fittings. He has an incredible insight into the 2-dimensional geometry of sewing patterns, and he taught me various methods of fitting that I had never considered to exist before. It was him who taught me his variation of the Kinn drafting system.
Under him he had an apprentice, Mr. Taiga Sugioka, who previously studied sewing and drafting. At the workshop, he was a helping hand to Mr. Kunieda, helping in fittings and corrections, while he was learning. At times, he would help in the direct production of garments, however his work would primarily shine through in his home productions. In his free time, he would often practice sewing at home, something I deeply respect. He was very motivational to talk to, and I continue communication with both of them to this day.
Most of the sewing would be with the two tailors who worked both from home and in the workshop, Mr. Naka-aki and the late Mr. Urasaki.
Mr. Naka-aki is a trouser and vest master, and while he definitely has the skills to sew jackets, his primary task was to sew trousers and vests. He practised a lot of traditional methods common in Japan, which have various unique qualities compared to the methods common in Europe.
Mr. Urasaki was a great jacket master, he primarily worked in his own workshop in the town. We would drive out to him once a week to get the latest production, and give a new product with instructions. I have been taught quite a few tricks from him, and he was very enthusiastic in helping others. He, as his colleague, practised many traditional methods, some of which have been lost in the high-speed industry of the 21st century. Many of the traditional methods he used was not only for the tradition of it, but also served a practical purpose. I carried these methods and corrections over to my own production, and I have quite grown to like them.
During my stay in Japan, after a few weeks, we all attended a tailoring workshop under Mr. Sugiyama, a tailor who now spends a lot of his time teaching others his methods. Around once a month, Mr. Sugiyama and his friend go together to set up a learning workshop, both to help new and old learn his methods and insight, but also to create a stronger network between tailors. To Mr. Sugiyama, it was not only important to be good at the craft, but also to be helpful to eactother and help elevate others.
At the workshop, I got a deeper insight into hand sewing and the function of hand sewing, as it is not only for a traditional finish, but can also provide an increased flexibility to an area. While the language barrier was tough, I was able to gleam different methods to shape pressing and what purpose they serve. Mr. Sugiyama also inspired me to use a more traditional electric iron, to get a more effective press and clean result. While this is not easy to do, as it risks burning the fabric, he was a master at play, and I was able to observe how he goes about it.
Later, Mr. Sugiyama and I got to exchange thoughts and ideas. He gave me different insights into the social network of tailors in Japan, and how a new generation of tailors might be able to create a stronger network than the previous generation.
During the later weeks of my stay in Hamamatsu, we would visit a fabric mill near Nagoya, one which produces high quality fabrics woven from Japanese sheeps.
As it is quite difficult to find a functioning weaving mill in Denmark, it was an exciting trip to me, and gave ma new view on fabric production and how it all works. To me, it was espescially interesting to see that weaving machines still function with the old punch-hole card memory system, as it is the most stable system and cheap to produce. The machinery I witnessed was quite impressive, as it was not only able to do a regular weave, but had up to 14 bars, giving it the ability to probably weave a jacquard weave too.
To me, it was inspirational to see the general mechanism of the machinery, as I have desired to own my own simple weaving machine one day. It also gives one the ability to appreciate the fabrics more, seeing how much quality control there was and how much work actually goes into production the wool which we wear.
At Tailor Shinya, my primary function was learning, which resulted in me participating in costumer support, drafting, cutting and fitting. I gained an increased attention to detail, especially during the cutting. He taught me what fabrics would be good for various functions, and we shared our different cultured when it comes to fitting and inlay, as the danish climate is very different from the tropical environment of Hamamatsu. While we were limited on time, he did a swell job of teaching me the drafting system, and since then, I have been working on formulating it into a danish document, in the hopes of preserving his methods.
All together, they shaped my experience in Japan, and has taught me more than I could ever describe. From the large shift I have undergone to a different drafting system, to subtle changes I can’t mention, they left me with a completely different view on the craft and how to execute it. They opened up my mind to a world of detail and functionality that is rare.
I am extremely grateful for this experience, I feel that it has pushed me to the grasp on tailoring I have today, and I couldn’t have done it without them.
