I have been working in the apparel industry in Japan for 20 years. Over those years, Japan’s apparel textile industry has changed significantly. Some changes have been for the better, and some have been for the worse.

Domestic apparel production in Japan is heading towards a difficult situation.

Today, only about 1.4% of clothing sold in Japan is made in Japan.

It’s a quiet number, rarely talked about.

But behind it lies a much louder reality:

factories closing, machines falling silent, and craftsmanship slowly fading away.

Japan was once filled with small garment factories—places where hands, not machines, decided the final quality of a piece. Where experience mattered. Where “good enough” was never enough.

As production moved overseas in search of lower costs and faster turnaround, many of these factories were left behind. Skilled artisans grew older, successors became fewer, and one by one, the doors closed.

If nothing changes, “Made in Japan” will one day exist only as a label in history books.

middle was born from a simple belief:

that clothing should be made with respect—for the people who make it, the materials, and the time it takes to do things properly.

As middle is a brand that was born in Japan, we feel that we have a responsibility to produce our products in Japan.

We choose to produce our garments in Japan, working closely with small factories and craftsmen who still care deeply about every stitch, every cut, every finish. Not because it is easy—Japanese production is expensive, slow, and increasingly rare—but because it still holds something irreplaceable.

When you touch a Japanese-made garment, you can often feel it.

The calm precision.

The quiet confidence.

The absence of unnecessary excess.

These clothes are not meant to chase trends.

They are meant to stay with you, age with you, and become part of your everyday life.

Every time a factory survives another year, a tradition survives with it.

Every time someone chooses a Japanese-made piece, it becomes a small act of preservation.

middle exists in that space—

between past and future, tradition and modern life.

We don’t believe craftsmanship should disappear simply because it doesn’t fit into mass production.

As long as there are hands that carefully craft products and people who are willing to wear them with love,

we believe “Made in Japan” has a future.