Appeal of Gloves
The best gloves created with top athletes

In Kagawa prefecture in Shikoku, Japan, there is a glove production site consisting of about 80 companies. The site started with making winter gloves and has a history of more than 120 years.　Now they grew to deal in three productions of winter fashion gloves, sport gloves and special-use gloves.

Such as the U.S. major-leaguer Ichiro and golfer Ryo Ishikawa and Isao Aoki, most of the gloves the world's top athletes use are made in this production area.

Since a quality of gloves affects the result of games, requests from professional athletes are severe. To respond to these requests, a personal designer and operators for each athlete directly communicate with them and create their gloves. Besides, comprehensive techniques and controlling of production including materials development and processing, tools and equipment are necessary.

Delicate adjustment is required for positions of stitches, texture of materials, and feeling of fit. Although Japanese synthetic leather's quality is stable and reliable because of its proper quality control system, a texture quality of natural leather varies depending on the season and the production place. Therefore natural leather is very difficult to adjust to the athletes' requests. But also it is true that technique has been improving thanks to these severe demands. The manufacturers in this production site now acquired a top-class sophisticated technique in the world.

Like using requests from professionals to improve products and techniques, complaints and demands about general products are used to advantage to products development as well. For example, UV protection and cool-in-summer products were created from consumer's needs. These products, started from development of functional materials, became summer's hit products and brought a huge profit to the industry.

Japanese glove industry started overseas operations in the 1970's, which was comparatively early among Japanese leather product industries. Started from Taiwan and Korea, now it spreads to China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Due to early start of overseas operation, all the companies already increased English-speaking and Chinese-speaking staff and are ready to advance into the world markets.

Sales in overseas might be still a future task for the companies, but they already handle OEM products for world-famous brands and receive good evaluations. Japanese-made gloves are excellent in design and unique in their high functionalities. They offer a well-balanced wide range of products as well.

In last year's APLF in Hong Kong, a functional glove of MATSUOKA GLOVE Co.,ltd. won Best Technology Award in the technology category. This award must be a good proof of high-technology in Japanese glove production. Some fashion gloves are already sold in department stores in China.

A campaign's symbol of JAGA (Japan Gloves Industry Association) has a heart mark because there is "love" in "glove". At APLF too, JAGA will showcase the best gloves with love.

Mr. YASUO HASHIMOTO
Chairman of HASHISEN CO.,LTD
Japan Gloves Industry Association

We send Kindness and Warmth through fashion
KURODA Co.,ltd. (Gloves)

One of the top leather gloves production companies in Japan, KURODA, has focused on creation of original design gloves, development of new materials and improvement of technology since its starting in 1974.

Customers these days are more conscious of designs and functions of products. The company's own brands, STYLISH, Premium, Nostalgie, Limited, mixture, RACINE, neuf, are all planned and produced in the company from the concept-decision to the target-market setting. Because of this strategy, these brands are highly praised by a wide range of the clients such as high-end department stores and mass retailers.

KURODA's primary concept, "Manufacturing of pleasant and desired products", is handed down to the present. Now, the company handles planning, production and distribution of leather gloves under the slogan of "We send 'kindness' and 'warmth' through fashion".

Having built two factories in Shanghai, the company is now able to accept a high-volume production. A strong connection between the two factories and the office in Japan helps to prevent delivery delay, and to establish reliability.

For the clients' prosperity, and for the employees' job satisfaction, and, more than anything, for customer satisfaction, KURODA will keep evolving by offering "valuable quality and price".

Company name: KURODA Co.,ltd.
Address: 722-1 SANBONMATSU, HIGASHI-KAGAWA, KAGAWA, 769-2601, JAPAN
CEO: KEIJI TANATSUGU (Mr.)
Person in charge: TERUAKI KADOTOMO (Mr.) / CHEN XUESHI (Ms.)
Tel: +81-879-25-9581
Fax: +81-879-24-0227
Email: terry@kuroda.co.jp
xueshi@kuroda.co.jp
URL: http://www.kuroda.co.jp

Grip for win! Pursuit of functionality and quality received the Grand Prix in Hong Kong and Japan
MATSUOKA GLOVE Co.,ltd. (Gloves)

Traditionally, gloves bunch-up in the finger and palm area and impede natural movement. Our unique technology overcomes this problem.

Our Ergo Grip technology has been applied to the registration for Patent in Japan, and also has been applied to the registration for PCT internationally.

Ergo Grip gloves have been designed to conform to the human hand in the most relaxed and naturally curved shape, which reduces the tension of muscles that grip and wearers to enjoy activities much longer without feeling fatigue. Ergo Grip technology clearly offers the greatest fitting and most comfortable, functional and best gripping gloves in the world.

The seams of fingers are designed to fit the joints of each finger.

Three‐demensional curved fingers are researched and designed by the theory of ergonomics. Cutting the material into each part of the joints of fingers, and sewing up the parts to achieve curved shape on fingers.

Ergo Grip was awarded for Grand Prize at Japan Leather Award 2008. Ergo Grip won Best Technology Award in Fashion Access Fair at the APLF in 2009.

Matsuoka Glove manufactures gloves in various brand for golf, ski,bicycle,and motorcycle. Our client list includes some of the most well-respected brand names in various industries. Matsuoka Glove offers unique, exclusive OEM products to suit your concept.

Company name: MATSUOKA GLOVE Co.,ltd.
Address: 1884-10 HIKETA, HIGASHI-KAGAWA, KAGAWA, 769-2901, JAPAN
President: KOJI MATSUOKA (Mr.)
Department in charge: GLOBAL BUSINESS TEAM
Person in charge: YUJIRO NOBUTA (Mr.)
Tel: +81-879-33-2090
Fax: +81-879-33-2260
Email: info@matsuoka-glove.co.jp
URL: http://matsuoka-glove.co.jp