Over the past half-century, the number of extremely hot summer days has reportedly increased eightfold. And in 2018, Tokyo recorded 40.8°C - a temperature approaching the highest ever observed in Japan.
Faced with a climate this severe, perhaps it's time we reconsider what a modern wardrobe should be.
A few years ago, unable to endure the relentless sun any longer, Takayuki Minami began exploring a new option for extreme summers - a high-performance T-shirt developed within Graphpaper.
After a few years of trial and error, that long-running plan has finally taken shape.
Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary cotton blank tee, nothing more. But even when you sweat, it stays dry and airy.
This is how Graphpaper's moisture-wicking, quick-dry pack T-shirt came into being.
Text by Rui Konno
―It's hot today.
It's really hot. What's going on.
―Since it's hot… shall we talk about T-shirts?
Yeah (laughs). I feel like I've already talked about them a lot, though.
―I still have more questions, for example, why release a new pack T at this timing?
Ah, that. Look, I actually like our existing pack T's and wear them a lot. But honestly… I just can't take summers anymore. It feels like my T-shirt doubles in weight from sweat.
―The temperatures are already crazy, even though it's not midsummer yet.
Exactly - and I started thinking it might be a problem if we keep relying solely on 100% cotton T-shirts. Eventually I wouldn't be able to wear them myself. But then the alternative is synthetics, and… well.
―You're not a fan of synthetic fibers?
It's the texture. They start to look shiny, like sportswear. I kept wondering if there was a way to solve that within Graphpaper. So I said - about four years ago, actually - that we should start from the fabric development. After that, I had mills propose countless variations with different blends and yarn counts, but none of them felt right. And finally, we arrived at this.
―You had that "This is it!" moment?
Exactly. This one. It uses a technique called plating - essentially, you knit one fabric but can bring different yarns to the face and to the back. So the inside, the part that touches the skin, is a quick-dry functional fiber, while the outside is cotton. So the fabric itself looks like cotton, but it absorbs sweat well and dries fast.
―The hand-feel is incredibly natural. Just a touch crisper than pure cotton.
Right? The cotton on the outside is a compact yarn that's slightly hard-twisted, and then singed at the final stage. The only real issue was that this method can't be knitted in tubular form like our usual circular-knit pack T's. But then I thought: Graphpaper's sizing is already generous, and the seams aren't going to rub or feel bulky. So… do we really need tubular construction? Maybe not.
―You're saying this only now? I assumed you kept tubular construction because you were committed to that classic method.
I mean, yes - there's a unique feel that only tubular, loop-wheel knits can produce. But if we insisted on that for a quick-dry T-shirt, we'd never release one even in a hundred years. Once the sample was finished and I wore it myself, I realized it didn't bother me at all. It looks just like an ordinary cotton tee on the outside, but it has the functionality I wanted most. So this is our summer pack T.
―Out of all the fabrics rejected over those four years, what were the main dealbreakers?
The biggest issue was always that they didn't look like cotton. Our production team would show me fabrics saying, "We made it look cotton-like!" But in reality it was nowhere near real cotton. I realized we couldn't use some "cotton-like synthetic" - it had to visually read as actual cotton. So we moved to plating, but then we hit issues with thickness. Too thick, too thin. Since the polyester on the inside is a filament yarn, it would shine through to the front and look oddly glossy.
―Filament, the so-called "long-fiber" type, not spun yarn.
Exactly. And I've always liked the thickness of our original pack T's; it's perfectly balanced. I really wanted this new one to feel close to that. But thinner fabrics cling too much to the body, so we went through failure after failure.
―I can picture the mills' despair. How did they react when you finally said, "This one works"?
It was like "Yessssss…!!!" (laughs). Every time they'd come with a new sample, saying, "If this doesn't work, I think we're out of options…" And I'd say, "Nope. Try again."
―A chill just ran down my back.
(Laughs). We contacted every cut-and-sew mill we could think of, explaining: "This is extremely difficult, but if you can do it, we'll rely on you for years." And in the end, the one who made it possible was Teijin.
―So that polyester yarn is functional, too.
Yeah. The yarn is called "SUZUSHIYA" - it has heat-shielding properties and is used in blackout curtains. It's soft and comfortable. But because functional polyester fabrics are usually designed to be lightweight above all else, they're almost always thin. "Cotton-likeness" isn't even a consideration. Finding the right balance was extremely difficult. And since this is Graphpaper, the final product needs to work in everyday fashion - not as sportswear.
―Some game jerseys can cross over into fashion, but those techy quick-dry T-shirts are still a hurdle style-wise.
Exactly - which is why we made this. I only think about how it looks in everyday city life. The drape is more refined now, and I think people who like clean, minimal clothing will appreciate it. Even after we finalized the fabric, we kept adjusting the rib width and neck opening, again and again, until it felt like something I would wear daily.
―You already have several signature T-shirts. Are the rib material and balance different this time?
Yes. A different fabric requires a completely different rib. Our usual pack T ribs are made by a specialist craftsperson just for those tees. But the Dry Pack T has to be produced entirely within the same supply chain as the body fabric, so we made and tested the ribs many times. I'll keep wearing it myself, and if I notice anything later, I might update it - but for now, this is version 1.0.
―As we head into real summer… what's your honest impression after wearing the finished piece?
The biggest difference is how it feels against the skin. There's none of that clinginess. With a cotton T-shirt after a shower, the fabric absorbs moisture and sticks to your body. This one doesn't. From the moment you put it on, it feels dry. Because it's moisture-wicking and quick-drying, that dry sensation lasts.
―That's a real benefit. It sounds genuinely comfortable.
Which is why it works both as a standalone summer T and as an inner layer in other seasons. It dries quickly after washing, so even indoor drying doesn't leave unpleasant odors. Graphpaper will probably never make a fully synthetic T-shirt, so in that sense this Dry Pack T might be our only functional tee. I think people have been waiting for something like this — at the very least, I really wanted it. The heat right now is unreal.
―Absolutely… Will the colors match the cotton pack T?
Yes. Grey, especially, tends to show sweat marks, so the Dry Pack T will be even more useful. It's a real daily-use item - almost like a consumable - so I wanted to release it as a pack. Naturally, selling them individually would be more profitable, but I think the pack offers better value for the person choosing it.
―It's something you want to wear without hesitation, so that approach is appreciated.
Right. But wow, it's hot again today… Are we done yet?
―Yes, I got plenty! Very dry today - in many ways.
(Laughs) Make sure you write it up nicely, okay? Thanks.
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