CFCL Establishes Its Own Production Facility, “CFCL Knitting Factory”
Building a Manufacturing Platform Where Creation, Business, and Public Value Coexist

CFCL will establish its own production facility, CFCL Knitting Factory, specializing in 3D computer knitting, in January 2026 in Sōka City, Saitama Prefecture. The factory is intended to simultaneously realize creativity, business viability, and the long-term sustainability of the knit industry. Conceived as a lab-type facility, it will integrate research, development, design, and knitwear production, and is planned to become the world’s largest knit factory primarily dedicated to WHOLEGARMENT® production owned by a collection brand.

This project is being advanced with the support of the SME Growth Acceleration Subsidy program administered by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), making CFCL the only apparel brand in Japan to be selected for this program. Through this initiative, CFCL will carry out a capital investment of approximately 1 billion JPY (6 million EUR), and will progressively develop both equipment installation and operational systems over the next two years. Upon completion, the facility will house 47 knitting machines—including 43 WHOLEGARMENT® machines—within a space of approximately 960 square meters.

Ahead of the factory’s establishment, CFCL set up CFCL Knitting Lab. in February 2024, where it has been advancing research and development as well as prototyping in computer-programmed knitwear. CFCL Knitting Factory will gradually transition into full-scale operation, drawing on the knowledge gained through this process..

Japan’s knit industry has long supported global fashion through its high level of technical expertise. Today, however, much of the industry is contracting, facing structural challenges such as limited production capacity, labor shortages, and difficulties in passing on technical skills. In addition, the heavy burden of capital investment has historically been placed on factories themselves, further raising barriers to long-term sustainability. CFCL believes that without addressing these structural issues, neither creative practice nor the industry as a whole can endure.

By taking responsibility for production itself and for the associated investment and operation, CFCL presents a new model of manufacturing that does not impose excessive risk on factories. CFCL Knitting Factory is not intended to replace existing partner factories; rather, it will maintain long-standing collaborative relationships while playing a complementary role that leverages the strengths of each. Serving as a hub where technology, people, and knowledge circulate, the factory aims to become a case study for how Japan’s fashion industry can move into its next phase.

For CFCL, creation, social responsibility, and business are not priorities to ranked, but elements that must be realized simultaneously. CFCL Knitting Factory is the place where this philosophy is implemented as a concrete business endeavor. By confronting the structure of manufacturing itself, CFCL takes a new step forward.

DETAILS
Facility name: CFCL Knitting Factory
Address: AMB BASE, 94-1 Yatsuka Kamimachi, Sōka-shi, Saitama, Japan
Floor area: approx. 960 sqm (approx. 290 tsubo)
Machinery: 47 knitting machines (including 43 WHOLEGARMENT® machines)