Opening New Worlds Through Every Stitch: TOMOS Company’s Revolutionary Approach to Traditional Japanese Sashiko
Based in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, TOMOS Company creates heartwarming products that bring Japan’s traditional handicraft “sashiko” into the modern era. At their flagship store that opened in Harajuku’s Harakado, many people are now captivated by their beautiful handwork and unique designs.
This article introduces the appeal of TOMOS Company, which breathes new life into Japan’s cherished cultural traditions, and tells the story of the “borderless world” they’re creating. We’ll explore why their products attract attention from brands both domestically and internationally, and how we can get involved in their activities. Join us on a journey to discover the thoughts woven into each and every stitch.
What is TOMOS Company? Creating a “Borderless World” Through Craft
From Tochigi to the World: Pioneering a New Model of Social Enterprise
TOMOS Company runs special employment facilities for people with disabilities, with multiple locations throughout Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture. In Japan, these are called “Type A and Type B continued employment support facilities” – essentially social enterprises that provide meaningful work opportunities while offering the support each person needs to succeed.
What makes TOMOS Company special is their challenging philosophy: they constantly question how disability support should work and aim to create a better society for everyone. Rather than traditional approaches, they’ve developed a unique “welfare meets creativity” model. Their focus is on manufacturing beautiful products that showcase each person’s individual talents and abilities. Through this work, they’re proposing new ways for people with disabilities to participate fully in society, sharing that vision with their local community and the world.
A Philosophy Built on Care and Quality
Everything TOMOS Company does is guided by a simple but powerful belief: “never take shortcuts, always invest time and care.” This isn’t just about making high-quality products—though they certainly do that. It’s about showing deep respect for every person involved in the process and believing in what they can achieve.
Rethinking Disability Support: Instead of relying entirely on government funding, TOMOS Company has built a business that actually makes money from selling beautiful products. This approach lets people with disabilities contribute real value to society—they’re not just receiving help, they’re creating things people genuinely want to buy.
Everyone Has Something Special to Offer: Rather than having everyone do identical assembly-line work, TOMOS Company designs jobs around each person’s unique strengths and interests. Some people excel at detailed stitching, others are great with colors and design, and still others shine at finishing touches. Through their individual contributions to these products, each person connects with the wider world and shows what they’re truly capable of.
The Appeal of Traditional Handicraft “Sashiko”
What is “Sashiko”? A Traditional Japanese Craft Full of Beauty and Meaning
Sashiko is a traditional Japanese needlework technique where cotton thread is stitched in geometric patterns across fabric. Originally, it served very practical purposes—reinforcing worn clothing and adding extra warmth during harsh winters. The technique started in farming villages in northern Japan, where families needed to make their clothing last as long as possible. This practical need grew into something beautiful, embodying the Japanese principle of “mottainai”—the idea that nothing should be wasted.
The Heart Behind Every Single Stitch
Creating sashiko takes incredible patience. Each piece involves thousands of individual stitches, placed carefully one by one. It’s slow, meditative work that can’t be rushed—and that’s exactly what makes it special. The workers at TOMOS Company have embraced this traditional technique, learning the skills passed down through generations while adding their personal touch to every piece they create.
The Beauty of “Boro”—Finding Value in the Worn and Weathered
Central to sashiko tradition is something called “boro,” which literally means “rags.” But boro is about much more than old, tattered cloth. It represents finding beauty in imperfection—celebrating the frayed edges, patches, and wear marks that show a textile’s journey through time. Rather than hiding damage, boro embraces it as part of the fabric’s story.
TERAS Brand: Bringing Ancient Craft into the Modern World
Through their brand “TERAS,” TOMOS Company has found ways to make traditional sashiko appeal to contemporary tastes. TERAS products feel both timeless and thoroughly modern—they honor the traditional techniques while creating designs that fit perfectly into today’s lifestyles.
Rescuing History: The Story Behind Their Tapestries
The most remarkable thing about TERAS tapestries is what they’re made from: authentic vintage fabrics that are over 100 years old. When old traditional buildings and storehouses in Tochigi Prefecture are torn down, TOMOS Company steps in to rescue these precious textiles. They carefully clean and restore the antique indigo-dyed cloth, then their artisans apply intricate sashiko stitching before designers piece everything together into stunning finished works.
Some of their large tapestries measure about 6 feet square and create dramatic focal points that can transform an entire room. These aren’t just decorations—they’re rescued pieces of Japanese history, given new life through skilled craftsmanship.
Art You Can Wear and Use
TERAS doesn’t just make wall hangings. Their sashiko work appears in contemporary designs that look almost like abstract paintings—bold compositions where deep indigo backgrounds are punctuated by precise geometric stitching in contrasting colors. The interplay between traditional techniques and modern design sensibilities creates pieces that feel both ancient and completely current.
Something for Everyone
The TERAS collection ranges from large art pieces to practical everyday items. You’ll find tote bags, cushions, coasters, and accessories alongside clothing like jackets and shirts. Every piece showcases the individual talents of the person who made it, and all reflect that perfect blend of traditional craft and contemporary style.
More Than Just Products—Individual Stories in Every Stitch
What makes TOMOS Company’s sashiko products truly special isn’t just their beauty or craftsmanship. Each piece carries the individual personality and care of the person who created it. This isn’t mass production—it’s individual artisans putting their heart into every stitch.
Playing to Everyone’s Strengths
Instead of making everyone do the same job, TOMOS Company has designed their workflow around what each person does best. Some workers excel at the detailed needlework, others are brilliant with fabric preparation or dyeing, and still others shine at the complex finishing work that turns raw materials into polished products. This approach means higher quality overall and gives each person the satisfaction of contributing their unique talents.
Taking Time to Do Things Right
That philosophy of “never taking shortcuts” shows up everywhere in their work. Even on massive projects—like tapestries requiring sashiko stitching on 100 separate pieces of vintage fabric—they maintain the same careful attention to detail. This patience and dedication creates products with a special quality you can actually feel when you see them in person.
Try It Yourself: Sashiko Workshops
TOMOS Company regularly offers hands-on workshops where visitors can try basic sashiko techniques. Using fabric scraps from their production process, participants learn to create small items like coasters or patches for bags. Many people find the rhythmic, focused work surprisingly calming—almost like meditation. Plus, you go home with something beautiful that you made yourself.
Changing How We Think About Disability Support
Creating Jobs That Bring Real Joy
TOMOS Company runs two types of employment programs designed to help people with disabilities find meaningful work and connect with their community.
Understanding Japan’s Support System
In Japan, there are two main types of employment support for people with disabilities:
Type A facilities work much like regular businesses. People have formal job contracts and earn at least minimum wage, but with extra support to help them succeed in their roles.
Type B facilities are more flexible. There are no formal employment contracts, and the focus is on gradually building skills and confidence through productive work that matches each person’s abilities and interests.
At TOMOS Company, both types of programs center around creating beautiful sashiko products and related crafts.
Support That Actually Works
What makes TOMOS Company different is how they support each individual. Instead of one-size-fits-all solutions, staff work closely with each person to:
- Discover what they’re good at: Everyone has unique talents and interests. The staff are excellent at spotting these individual strengths and finding ways to use them in the production process.
- Provide flexible support: Work schedules, tasks, and support levels are adjusted to match what each person needs. This ensures everyone can contribute meaningfully without feeling overwhelmed.
- Celebrate achievements: Perhaps most importantly, the environment celebrates successes and makes sure everyone experiences the satisfaction of creating something beautiful and valuable.
The Big Step: Opening in Tokyo’s Fashion District
When TERAS HARAKADO opened on the third floor of Tokyu Plaza in Harajuku, it was a bold move that surprised many people. This isn’t just any retail location—Harajuku is the heart of Japanese fashion culture and a place where international buyers come to spot new trends.
More Than Just a Store
TERAS HARAKADO showcases the complete range of TERAS products, from small accessories perfect for gifts to major art pieces that could be the centerpiece of a room. The store offers regular items, unique one-of-a-kind pieces made from vintage fabrics, Harajuku-exclusive products, and special collaborations with other brands.
But it’s much more than a retail space. The store serves as a cultural ambassador, helping visitors understand both the technical skill behind traditional sashiko and the social mission that makes it all possible.
Proving Their Worth on the Global Stage
Harajuku’s reputation as a global fashion hub means TERAS HARAKADO gets attention from international visitors, fashion industry professionals, and cultural influencers from around the world. And the response has been remarkable.
High-end pieces, including sashiko jackets priced at over $900, sell consistently to both Japanese customers and international tourists. This commercial success proves something important: people genuinely value the combination of traditional craftsmanship, compelling backstory, and contemporary design.
The media attention has been just as impressive, with features in fashion magazines, lifestyle publications, and articles about social innovation spreading awareness far beyond what would have been possible from their original base in Utsunomiya.
Building a Business That Really Works
The success of TERAS HARAKADO represents TOMOS Company’s core belief: that social enterprises should create genuine value, not just redistribute charity money.
When their products sell at premium prices in competitive retail environments, it proves several important things:
- Quality matters: Their commitment to excellent craftsmanship means their products succeed on their own merit
- Stories add value: Customers willingly pay premium prices for products with meaningful stories about traditional techniques, environmental sustainability, and social impact
- Work brings dignity: The workers experience real satisfaction knowing their efforts create products people genuinely want to buy, not just support out of sympathy
This creates a positive cycle: commercial success enables better wages and working conditions, which attracts talented people and enables even higher quality production, which supports continued commercial success.
Every TERAS product carries multiple layers of value: the technical skill of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, the environmental consciousness of rescuing and repurposing vintage materials, and the joy that workers invest in every careful stitch. Together, these elements create products with special meaning that goes far beyond their practical function.
Working with Fashion Brands and Creative Partners
TERAS has attracted collaboration requests from some of Japan’s most respected brands, proving that traditional craft techniques can enhance modern design while creating new opportunities for the artisans.
Fashion Brand Partnerships
MARKAWARE: This high-end menswear brand worked with TERAS to create limited-edition pieces where traditional sashiko techniques were applied to contemporary clothing designs. The result was fashion that looked thoroughly modern while showcasing centuries-old Japanese craftsmanship.
Mittan: Known for creating clothing designed to last for years, Mittan partnered with TERAS for repair services. Using traditional sashiko techniques, worn garments were given new life—perfectly embodying the “mottainai” philosophy of avoiding waste.
KIMONO by NADESHIKO: This brand, operated by Yamato (a kimono specialist since 1917), commissioned TERAS to create traditional kimono accessories, including decorative collar pieces and obi fabrics.
Ouruvi: This kimono rental company requested original pieces for children’s ceremonial wear, with TERAS providing sashiko work for special festival kimonos and creating custom-colored buttons to match.
Mori: As part of an innovative “RE; CIRCLE PROJECT” by this avant-garde vintage store, TERAS provided repair services that transformed worn-out vintage clothing into completely new jackets through strategic sashiko application.
Outdoor and Lifestyle Events
Nordisk: For this outdoor equipment company, TERAS organized large-scale workshops teaching about 100 participants to create sashiko decorations featuring company logos. These hands-on events introduced traditional Japanese crafts to outdoor enthusiasts while creating positive brand experiences.
Lifestyle and Home Goods Collaborations
Calen Blosso: TERAS created sashiko elements for the straps of contemporary Japanese sandals made by this brand from Hishiya, a traditional footwear company founded in 1926.
cotogoto: This retailer specializing in Japanese handcrafted goods commissioned custom coasters and pot holders featuring simple wave-pattern stitching. The products combined practical use with the warmth that only comes from genuine handwork.
KOTOSHINA: For this Kyoto organic skincare brand’s tea house, TERAS created custom coasters in four color variations, each branded with both companies’ names.
SOI: This company, which promotes tea and traditional paper from Gifu Prefecture, ordered custom drawstring bags sized to fit their tea presentation boxes, complete with long straps suitable for shoulder carrying.
DAMDAM: This clean skincare brand requested cosmetic pouches that incorporated their signature brand colors as accent details in the sashiko work.
POJ Studio: Working with this company that showcases high-quality Japanese crafts internationally, TERAS created sashiko pillow covers and custom products based on their original designs.
Technology Company Projects
Miletos: This AI technology startup commissioned a striking company flag measuring about 6 feet square. Made with indigo-dyed fabrics and featuring about 100 individual sashiko-stitched pieces, the flag was designed to reflect the diversity and individuality of their team members.
Connecting Across Generations and Communities
TOMOS Company believes that keeping traditional crafts alive means engaging with young people and staying connected to their local community. Their approach goes beyond just making products—they’re actively building bridges between generations and creating opportunities for cultural exchange.
Teaching the Next Generation
One of their most meaningful projects involved partnering with local high school students. The students grew indigo plants, processed them into dye, and created dyed fabrics. TOMOS Company artisans then used these student-made materials as the foundation for sashiko products, incorporating the students’ design ideas into the finished pieces.
These collaborations serve multiple purposes: they provide hands-on education about traditional craft techniques, show how historical practices remain relevant today, and create valuable opportunities for young people to interact meaningfully with people who have disabilities. It’s a powerful example of how traditional crafts can bring different groups together around shared creativity.
Staying Connected Locally
Regular participation in local events keeps TOMOS Company rooted in their home community. They frequently set up exhibitions and sales at places like JR Utsunomiya Station, where local residents can see their work up close, understand their mission, and appreciate the high quality of products being created right in their own city.
These local connections are crucial for maintaining the cultural authenticity of their work. Traditional crafts don’t exist in isolation—they’re part of living communities with ongoing relationships to local history, materials, and aesthetic preferences. By staying actively involved in Utsunomiya, TOMOS Company ensures their work remains connected to its cultural roots.
The local events also provide important opportunities for the workers themselves. They get to see how their products are received, interact directly with customers, and experience the pride that comes from community recognition of their skills and contributions.
Creating a “Borderless World” Through Every Stitch
TOMOS Company has taken the traditional craft of sashiko and used it to create something entirely new: a business model that brings together ancient techniques, individual creativity, and social innovation. Their products aren’t just beautiful—they represent a vision of how traditional culture and modern social challenges can work together to create positive change.
What Makes This Special
Learning about TOMOS Company offers much more than just discovering beautiful handmade items. Their story provides insight into Japanese values like “mottainai” (avoiding waste), the importance of patience and careful attention to process, and the belief that everyone has something valuable to contribute.
For international visitors, encountering TERAS products means connecting with authentic Japanese craftsmanship while supporting a social mission that transcends cultural boundaries. It demonstrates how traditional techniques can remain vital and relevant in contemporary life, and offers inspiration about creative approaches to social challenges.
The Ripple Effects
The careful stitches that create each TERAS piece do more than hold fabric together—they connect individual artisans to customers around the world, link traditional techniques to contemporary design needs, and bridge social mission with commercial success. In this way, they truly do open new worlds, one stitch at a time.
Whether you visit TERAS HARAKADO in Tokyo, participate in a workshop, or simply take time to appreciate the story behind these remarkable products, you’ll be connecting with a vision of the future where tradition and innovation, individual talent and collective purpose, beauty and social good all work together to create something genuinely meaningful.
Ready to Experience It Yourself?
TERAS HARAKADO is located on the 3rd floor of Tokyu Plaza Harajuku “Harakado” (1-13-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), easily accessible from Harajuku Station or Meiji-jingu-mae Station. The store showcases the full range of TERAS products and offers insight into both traditional sashiko techniques and the social mission behind this remarkable enterprise.
Come see how the ancient art of sashiko is creating new possibilities for traditional craft, meaningful employment, and beautiful design that bridges cultures and generations.
