International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology

Purpose – Japanese traditional Chirimen fabrics are used for making kimonos, which have a fixed structure and are worn in very particular ways. These fabrics have also been used as dress fabrics in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of the mechanical properties of various types of Chirimen to clarify differences in their hand value (HV) and clothing appearance.

Design/methodology/approach – Chirimen fabrics were collected from the largest producing area, the Tango district, plus silk Chirimen and 40 polyester Chirimen samples, resulting in a total of 311 samples. The mechanical properties, HVs, and formability of Chirimen fabrics used for kimono fabrics were compared to those of Western fabrics, and their unique features were clarified.

Findings – Values of the weft direction of bending properties of all Chirimen groups, men and women's suit fabrics, and dress shirt fabrics were at the same level. A significant feature of the mechanical parameters of each Chirimen group (excluding logSP which are compound values of bending properties and shearing properties) was that they were in the range for ideal men's suiting zone. HV KOSHI of Chirimen is found to be closely related to the bending properties, thickness and weight of the fabric, and HV TEKASA of Chirimen is found to be closely related to the thickness and weight of the fabric.

Originality/value – This paper clarifies Chirimen's mechanical properties which contribute to traditional subjective evaluation by fabric experts.