Cottle - On the Mingei Philosophy in Clothing
The brand is based in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture—a region globally known as a sacred ground for denim.
Historically, it was a hub for producing workwear and school uniforms. However, with the changing times, these industries began to decline.
Yet, utilizing the accumulated know-how, a new generation rose in the 1960s to revive local craftsmanship through denim production, and to this day, Kojima continues to thrive as a world-renowned production region.
This is a view of the Kojima area, taken from Mt. Ojigadake, located near COTTLE’s atelier.
Throughout the town, factories are scattered everywhere—so much so that it’s common for what appears to be an ordinary house from the outside to actually be a working factory.
Weaving, dyeing, sewing, washing, finishing… a wide array of factories involved in every step of garment production exists here.
From the mountain, the town is watched over by “Nikoniko Iwa” (Smiling Rock), a symbol of Mt. Ojigadake, overlooking the sea.
With its beautiful landscape, Kurashiki City’s Kojima area is truly an ideal environment for craftsmanship.
COTTLE is based in the town of Kojima, where they have established their atelier in a truly beautiful building.
This space houses both the atelier and the office, with an adjoining gallery shop.
In COTTLE’s case, the atelier also functions as its own sewing factory. This setup allows designer Mr. Watanabe to immediately bring to life what exists in his mind or what he feels on a daily basis, without diluting the essence of his vision within a single, cohesive space.
That is a significant advantage.
In the process of designing and producing garments, there are often moments when a method better suited than the originally planned one is discovered, or when points for improvement emerge.
In such cases, they are able to immediately implement changes or make adjustments in-house to pursue a better solution.
This becomes a major strength when striving to create garments that are truly well-considered and refined.
While it’s easy to imagine how difficult it is to maintain such a high standard of craftsmanship, COTTLE is a brand that remains committed to it—constantly polishing each piece in their collection.
By adjoining the gallery shop to their atelier, COTTLE has created a space where they can directly communicate their craftsmanship themselves.
While the shop usually operates by appointment, it is regularly visited not only by people from across Japan but also by fans from overseas.
COTTLE’s atelier functions as an in-house sewing factory.
In addition to the designer Watanabe-san and his wife Yukari-san, five skilled technicians work regularly in the atelier.
Beyond that, highly experienced craftspeople who share COTTLE’s philosophy—both in Kojima and across Japan—collaborate in the making of each piece.
While it’s common for fashion brands to outsource cutting and sewing to external factories, what makes COTTLE truly unique is their commitment to handling production themselves.
Building and maintaining an environment where garments can be sewn in-house is no easy feat.
Yet COTTLE remains steadfast in this approach, grounded in a clear philosophy and a deep sense of purpose in their craft.
The foundational philosophy of COTTLE lies in the spirit of Mingei—the Japanese folk craft movement.
One clear example of this is found in the brand’s name tag, attached to each garment, as seen in the photo above.
While COTTLE uses about three different types of name tags depending on the collection, this particular one carries special meaning.
If you look closely, you’ll notice small threads popping out irregularly from the fabric.
This design pays homage to Hige Tsumugi, a “phantom textile” once woven from repurposed fishing nets that had been worn down by use and then re-spun, with the threads woven in as weft yarns.
Additionally, the tag is inscribed with a few key words.
These words refer to the founding philosophy of the Kurashiki Folk Craft Museum (Kurashiki Mingeikan), located in the same city as COTTLE’s atelier. The museum’s first director, Yoshinosuke Tonemura, outlined the core tenets of Mingei thought:
“Healthy, without waste, sincere, and never boastful.”
“Take responsibility in craftsmanship.”
The name tag is woven to reflect this Mingei philosophy—not just in aesthetics, but in meaning.
Beyond that, you can feel this spirit throughout every detail of COTTLE’s garments. It’s embedded deeply into their work—quiet, earnest, and intentional.
The beauty of mingei (folk craft) is often described as “beauty in utility” (yō no bi).
These are crafts deeply tied to function—meant to be used in everyday life, and through use, their beauty is revealed and refined over time.
COTTLE’s craftsmanship is rooted in this philosophy, expressing yō no bi as a central spirit of their work.
One traditional Japanese technique that embodies this idea is kintsugi—the art of repairing broken or cracked pottery with lacquer, then highlighting the repaired seams with gold powder.
It’s a restoration method that doesn’t hide flaws but embraces them—giving broken items new life, and recognizing their continued worth through thoughtful mending.
COTTLE reflects this philosophy symbolically by attaching buttons inspired by kintsugi—an homage to finding value in imperfection and continuity in repair.
In areas of the garment where structural integrity, form retention, and durability are essential, COTTLE incorporates materials such as the previously mentioned hige-tsumugi or kasuri fabrics. These details can be seen when viewing the garments up close, and they allow you to sense the brand’s philosophy even from within.
Furthermore, each piece comes with a handwritten tag—not only listing the fabric composition, size, and other specifications, but also the date of production. This detail reflects the deep care and intention embedded in every garment made by COTTLE.
This mindset is equally evident in the fabrics and garment constructions developed by the brand, which we’ll introduce in future posts.
COTTLE achieves a sense of “beauty in utility” that endures over time—garments you want to continue wearing for years to come. And this is not only a matter of spirit, but of material execution: each piece is created in close collaboration with highly skilled Japanese artisans and represents a thoughtfully crafted balance between functionality and beauty.
Looking at the broader apparel industry, it’s no secret that we’re in a time of excessive supply, where garments overflow in sheer volume and variety.
COTTLE does not pursue mass production. In fact, most of their garments are not produced as ready-to-wear collections in the domestic market. Instead, they operate on a made-to-order basis, delivering only what is necessary to those who need it.
Because of this approach, each garment produced in COTTLE’s atelier carries a dense concentration of thoughtfulness and craftsmanship—it becomes a projection of their values through their hands and their philosophy.
The phrase “honest and unpretentious”, drawn from the spirit of mingei (folk craft), deeply resonates—especially in quiet moments of reflection in daily life.
And true to those words, COTTLE’s creations are steady, sincere, and built through genuine engagement.
shop talk & communications by Akihiko Fukuda