Inlay Production

All Japan Blue Jeans' inlay fabric knitting are manufactured in Gifu. We have been involved in the denim industry for a long time. This time, our inlay fabric production is our latest surprising innovation. In this opportunity, we would love to share about our commitment to creating this innovative fabric with its production background.

What is 'Inlay'?

An Inlay is the inner layer of a sweatshirt. The body part of the sweatshirt is called a jersey. When you look at the inner part, one thick pile of thread passes through in a horizontal direction. Therefore, the inlay part of a sweatshirt gives a solid texture with some stretch while keeping the thickness down. About 5 years ago, we commissioned the factory to produce inlay in-house. In the process of developing new products, we were impressed with the quality of this fabric. The produced inlay has a characteristic of a thick and sturdy texture.

We use a machine called ‘Sinker knitting machine’ to weave the inlay fabrics. A thin metal plate (called a sinker) with a complex shape serves as a hook (*see the photo above). The thread is set up to draw a big circle. You can observe the yarn gathering towards the center while rotating. It will be gradually rolled up as a fabric in a dome-shaped kettle downward, a production scene that is unique in knitting and not typically found in denim looms. To create a sturdy and hard fabric, we used yarn that has a unique and tougher texture than most other fabrics available in the market. 

Tips and Techniques

Our most crucial tip in the inlay fabric production is to "soften the yarn before weaving and loosen it". Next, we need to "reduce the amount of cotton dust by using a silicone wax to improve the slippage to produce a firm thread."

It's essential to acquire high-quality silicone wax. When low-quality silicone wax is used, it may melt too quickly or slip and produce scum which highly affects the final product quality. There are techniques and know-how other than these. However, with these strategies, the current inlay fabric we are producing has been fine-tuned to high standards.

This masterpiece was discovered through deep cooperation with the experts. Our master craftsmanship and passion are embedded in the loops to produce our sweatshirts. The body is thick and tough, but the inner side is extremely soft. This is a similar characteristic that can be found in our jeans in which the material softens after you wear them for some period of time.

We are proud to introduce our raglan long-sleeves sweatshirts to demonstrate the perfect harmony and masterpiece crafting of inlay weaving. They are available in gray, white, navy and green.

Check out our "Inlay" collection today!