How to distinguish high-quality cashmere: the quality varies greatly even within the same material.

Cashmere, known as the "jewel of fibers," is indispensable during the cold winter months. Cashmere knitwear ranges from items under 10,000 yen at Uniqlo and Muji to those that sell for over 100,000...

The surprisingly little-known difference between "kawa" (animal skin) and "kawa" (leather), and the process of "tanning."

Animal hides, like meat, are organic matter and will decay over time.The process of preventing this decay is called "tanning."Furthermore, as the kanji character for "tan" (鞣) suggests, an importan...

A must-read for silk beginners: What exactly is silk?

Silk is said to be *1the fiber closest to human skin, and it is a fiber that causes very little irritation to the skin and hair. For this reason, it is commonly used for goods, underwear, and beddi...