Nakano Apparel Aims for Global Market

By Cian O Neill 

An apparel OEM company founded in 1986, Nakano Apparel produces high-quality cut and sewn products, assisting in all stages from planning and material procurement to development and sewing.

Recently, the company has made headlines for its pioneering recycling practices. President Kazunori Nakano explains: “After being approached by a paper manufacturing company one day, I resolved to do something about industrial waste, and we decided as a company that we could recycle our scraps into waterproof sheets. Now we are able to recycle 100 percent of our scrap, thus producing no waste.”

Such initiatives have resulted in the firm receiving a prestigious sustainability award and being named as one of 100 textile companies for the next generation in 2023.

For Mr. Nakano, environmental measures at the company’s factory in Vietnam are just as significant: “We have installed solar panels and a biomass boiler in Vietnam. With the former, we can generate about 70 percent of the annual electricity needed for our plant, and with the boiler, we no longer need to use oil.”

Solar panels in Vietnam

Staff at the plant, meanwhile, have both developed their own in-house rubbish sorting system and taken it upon themselves to contract a lunch catering company on the condition that it provided sustainable, multi-use items.

Perhaps it is the scale of the firm’s factories that enables employees to take responsibility in this way. Mr. Nakano again: “In the apparel manufacturing industry, a big factory with a large number of workers is wonderful. However, we believe that small factories that are ultra-efficiently run have a greater advantage in terms of cost and quality; and lead ultimately to business stability and an improved standard of living for our employees.”

In an age of domestic labor shortages, Mr. Nakano is open about the need for digital transformation in the sewing industry, which still relies heavily on human endeavor: “We believe we can combine the human element with automation in order to increase productivity and efficiency.”

With increased productivity and efficiency, of course, come opportunities for global expansion, and beyond the firm’s existing activities in Vietnam, Mr. Nakano confirms that he is looking to places such as South Korea, North America and Europe as potential sites for new sales activities.

“I have high expectations for the future,” he concludes. “And I would like to see our turnover increase five fold by 2036 to coincide with our fiftieth anniversary.”