"I've decided to produce a Ventile series. What set it off was realizing I could no longer tell where this fabric is headed. I'm leaving a record of how the fabric was chosen."

Domestic Ventile and original Ventile

Do you know the fabric called Ventile? The name most often refers to a 100% cotton cloth that achieves water resistance through structure alone — an ultra-high-density weave — without relying on any chemical treatment or resin coating.

It began with its development in Britain in the late 1930s and 40s. Rather than as a fabric on its own, it tends to be recognized as a set with the garments built on it — the British military's Ventile smocks and the like — items that were, in effect, named after the cloth.

There is, however, a side to Ventile where the domestic fabric and the overseas original are recognized separately. Put simply:

・Different country of origin (the same character as a fabric, yet distinct)
・Rights — trademark licensing and the like

They have been distinguished on those two points. But in 2025, with a trading company stepping in, a path toward integration has come into view.

So here is what I thought:

"While the original Ventile can still be used, I want to build a smock with it."

A serious Ventile smock.

It is a demanding fabric in every sense, so I had intended to take it on much further down the road. But if the future of Ventile itself is uncertain, then I want to do it now.

Of course, there is a fair chance things turn out well and the fabric only gains in value. But I cannot say the opposite case is impossible, either.

And so, I decided to produce the Ventile series.

The fabric search truly starts from there. I learned that Takisada-Nagoya apparently handles it, so I consulted the fabric supplier I always rely on. At that point it was not yet called Ventile here (because of the domestic Ventile situation, the original does not use the name in Japan), and there was only one option on the table.

"This is all there is."

While moving toward sampling with that cloth, I kept wondering — can there really be only one? Digging further, I found there were more. I managed to track down the article numbers and inquired: this is the one I want to see.

It took a little time, but I was able to examine a good number of actual swatches.

Having seen them all, the conclusion: the fabric already chosen was the right one.

I am genuinely grateful to the fabric supplier for the inquiries to Takisada and for arranging the swatches. The result might have been the same either way, but going through this process is what made it a fabric choice I can fully stand behind.

In terms of cost, it runs about four times the domestic Ventile. But for the FUKUBORI Archive, standing in this lineage truly matters.

FUKUBORI's Ventile series was set in motion, you could say, because the fabric could be chosen with genuine conviction.

Note

Owing to trademark circumstances in Japan, the fabric made in its home country is not sold as "Ventile" here.

In this article, for convenience, I call it the original Ventile.