Who decided that knitwear is “old-fashioned”? A new leader with deep knowledge of department stores and manufacturers has launched a challenge to reimagine the “conventional wisdom” surrounding knitwear.

60 Years of Proven Expertise Behind the Scenes

Are you familiar with the brand “gim”? It’s a long-established knitwear brand well-known among people of a certain generation who were inspired by the Ivy League style. Since 1965—long before the “Ura-Harajuku culture” we know today had even taken shape—gim has been dedicated to knitwear right here in Harajuku. Maintaining a partnership with such prestigious brands as Isetan, BEAMS, and Comme des Garçons is no easy feat. No matter how challenging the specifications or materials, they always manage to turn them into wearable garments. Buyers and designers have placed immense trust in their proven expertise.

What we would like to emphasize here is that gim is not a manufacturer with its own factories. Rather, we identify the strengths of our partner factories and combine the most suitable production processes. It is precisely this ability to coordinate that is gim’s true strength. Our flexibility in meeting client requests has quietly supported the “foundation of Japan’s knitwear industry” for many years.

A transformation is currently taking place at gim as a manufacturer. With the addition of Yusuke Yagihara—who gained experience as an assistant buyer at Isetan—gim is entering a new phase as a “brand that expresses itself.” By combining the trust inspired by its long-standing reputation as a manufacturer with the perspectives of “buyers and sellers,” gim has enhanced its ability to offer co-creative OEM proposals. The flagship store “I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT KNIT by gim,” built on the site of the former Harajuku distribution center, symbolizes this shift, and gim is now evolving into a “ambidextrous” manufacturer that understands the challenges of “selling” as well.

Before we begin our interview with Mr. Yagihara, I’d like to start by giving you a detailed overview of the manufacturing initiatives that gim has been working on.

"Quality products at the lowest possible price." The philosophy behind the materials

Why does gim earn everyone's trust?

gim’s cashmere knitwear comes in a whopping 23 colors. At first glance, you might think, “That’s a lot of colors,” but behind this fact lies gim’s true greatness—something that’s hard for others to replicate. It’s the company’s ability to consistently secure enough cashmere raw material to offer as many as 23 colors. Moreover, this raw material is high-quality Mongolian cashmere raised by nomads in the Outer Mongolia region. Furthermore, gim is also committed to creating products using rare Sea Island cotton, and handling these materials would be impossible without deep and robust local networks. If products made with the same materials were manufactured in Italy, it would not be unusual for the price to be two or three times higher. Even so, gim continues to offer products at an affordable price point while maintaining authentic quality.

The ability to bring together exceptional sewing techniques

No matter how good an idea may be, a product will never see the light of day without the “ability to bring it to life.” At gim’s partner factories, a wealth of expertise has been passed down, including 30-gauge high-precision knitting machines—of which there are only a few in Japan—know-how in knitting designs that ensure strength even when using fine yarns, the ability to create distinct textures by leveraging differences in gauge (such as 10-gauge and 7-gauge), and the artisanal skills required to align the stitches beautifully and join them seamlessly, even at high gauges. Furthermore, the fulling process is what determines the final finish after knitting. This process, in which artisans carefully wash the fabric over time to bring out its unique texture, is also packed with advanced techniques based on many years of experience. Sixty years of handling all manner of demanding and challenging orders from clients have formed the foundation of gim’s technical capabilities and expressive power.

With knitwear, it is only through the interplay of yarn, machinery, and human intuition that a garment’s unique “presence” is born. At gim, we have specialized knitting machines—now found only in a very limited number of locations in Japan—and artisans who thoroughly understand their characteristics. Through the exquisite collaboration between these two elements, an “unseen difference” is truly woven into the fabric. Drape, thickness, texture, and functionality. In every aspect, gim’s products—which make you think, “Somehow, this is different”—are truly the crystallization of knowledge and experience. Rather than chasing the speed of trends, we have remained steadfastly committed to weaving “depth”—this is a way of crafting knitwear found nowhere else.

Authentic Materials ✕ Authentic Craftsmanship ✕ Innovation from a Buyer’s Perspective: The Three Pillars Supporting GIM

Armed with the strength of its materials and craftsmanship, gim has built a reputation as a “behind-the-scenes pillar” of the industry. While its core “GIM” line is, of course, outstanding, in recent years, gim has taken a step toward new horizons. These are two new lines: “gim context,” which explores conceptual expression, and “A PRACTICED HAND,” where femininity and craftsmanship intersect.

We’ll explain the characteristics and differences of each brand in an easy-to-understand way.

GIM (Gym)
The foundation of gim and the basic line that has been with us since the company's founding.
Since its founding in 1965, GIM has pursued “reliable quality” and “timeless beauty” through OEM production for department stores and select shops. In this line, we lavishly use high-quality materials such as Sea Island cotton and rare cashmere, paying meticulous attention to every detail—from the “comfort” against the skin to the “gauge” of the knit. Although priced at less than half that of comparable Italian-made items, the quality is in no way inferior. This line truly embodies the essence of “authentic knitwear”—a secret known only to connoisseurs.

gim context (Gim Context)
An experimental and conceptual line that reinterprets the concept of knitwear.
The brand officially launched in the Fall/Winter 2022 season. It was established through a collaboration with a designer from Central Saint Martins, building on the material expertise and production technology that gim has accumulated through its long-standing OEM business. The concept is to “unravel the context of accumulated history and culture and reweave it for a new era.” It sheds light on the social and cultural context behind the act of “wearing” clothes and expresses it three-dimensionally through gim’s unique “knitting” technique. The collection incorporates items that were previously unthinkable in knitwear—such as 1950s Lee coveralls and the MA-1 jacket—making it a truly challenging line that reexamines the possibilities of knitwear.

A PRACTICED HAND
Launched in the Fall/Winter 2023 season. The brand’s concept is “Artistic Craft Knitwear”—playful knitwear that blends handcrafted artistry with art.
Utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques—such as delicate yarn work and fulling—the brand offers a collection of “Knits That Tell a Story” that emphasize movement and texture. While embodying femininity, the designs express a beauty with inner strength that goes beyond mere sweetness.

Women’s knitwear with a presence unlike any other. The meticulously crafted details and structured silhouettes embody knitting techniques honed over many years, and gim delicately reflects a “new femininity” through them.

“I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT KNIT by gim” Harajuku Showroom OPEN

A place in Harajuku where all gim products come together

In the fall of 2023, gim renovated the former shipping facility and opened its own showroom. As implied by the store’s name, it is a gallery dedicated to knitwear, embodying the purity and pride of the philosophy that “only knitwear can deliver.” It is the only place where you can actually “see, touch, and feel” the world of gim and the appeal of all three brands. Here, visitors can not only pick up and examine every line—from gim’s Basic Line, designed for everyday wear, to gim context, which reimagines culture through knitting, and A PRACTICED HAND, where artisanal craftsmanship comes to life—but also engage in experiences that allow them to “feel, reflect on, and share” the possibilities of knitwear. Going beyond mere product displays, we plan to regularly host events such as the unveiling of archival materials, collaborative exhibitions with designers, and pop-up events. This showroom—a space that has been reborn from a “place of creation” into a “place of expression”—is the very heart of gim’s mission to “redefine knitwear,” offering a firsthand experience of that vision.

Thank you for waiting. Here is our interview with Yusuke Yagihara, the leader of gim. How does Mr. Yagihara envision the future of gim?

From department stores to manufacturers—and now, straddling the line between basics and creativity, gim continues to explore new possibilities in knitwear. Even as the times change, Yusuke Yagihara’s approach to craftsmanship—which balances proven techniques with a spirit of experimentation—stands as a “symbol of evolution” in today’s knitwear industry. We spoke with him about the essence of knitwear and its future prospects—insights he has gained precisely because he has experienced both “selling” and “making.”

Q: From a department store to a manufacturer. Could you tell us why you made the switch?

Structural Changes in Department Stores as Seen by an Aspiring Buyer

I’ve always loved fashion, so after graduating from college, I joined Isetan. At first, my motivation was simply that I “wanted to become a buyer.” However, as I worked on the sales floor, I could feel firsthand how the nature of department stores was changing dramatically. In the past, department stores held their own inventory and curated their sales floors through “in-house curation,” but they gradually shifted to a “space-leasing model” where they rented space to brands. I witnessed this turning point firsthand—a transition from an era where department stores took risks and established their own distinct identities to one where “management focused on curating entire floors” became the mainstream.

Amid these changes, I strongly sensed that the very structure of department stores was evolving. What will become of the “buyer” role in the future? I had a hunch that their role would shift beyond simply purchasing merchandise to designing spaces and curating entire floors. At the same time, opportunities to take risks by holding inventory were dwindling, and the leeway to create sales floors based on intuition and judgment was rapidly disappearing. As I experienced these changes firsthand in my daily work, I began to feel that “if things continue this way, the very ground I stand on might change.”

Around that time, the pandemic forced our store to close, giving me a chance to pause and reflect. While I didn’t have a clear vision for my future direction, it was precisely because I sensed that “the structure of where I was at the time was changing” that the thought, “I’d like to get involved in clothing design from a slightly different perspective,” naturally arose. Around that time, the chairman (my grandfather) asked me, “Why don’t you give it a try with us?” and that ultimately became the major catalyst for me joining gim. Rather than a matter of strong resolve, I think it was a “fateful moment” where the tide of the times and my own intuition just happened to align.

Q: Based on your experience with both “selling” and “making,” what challenges do you see in manufacturing?

A Perspective That Bridges the “Atmosphere” on the Front Lines and Manufacturing

When I worked at a department store, I was also involved in customer service. Since I interacted directly with customers, I was able to get a firsthand sense of their real needs and reactions. Based on that experience, now that I’ve joined a manufacturer, I’ve come to realize that there really isn’t much information flowing back and forth between the “sales side” and the “manufacturing side.” The insights gained on the front lines rarely make their way to the planning and production departments. Conversely, it’s difficult for customers to understand the technical expertise and background of the factory side. I feel that this gap is quite significant.

After joining gim, I realized that I wanted to serve as a sort of “bridge” between those two worlds. The intuition I gained working on the sales floor of a department store and the perspective I’ve cultivated in a manufacturing setting—I realized that being able to move back and forth between both might be one of my strengths.

Another thing I realized is that while it’s important to prioritize “creating great products,” it’s also crucial to maintain a focus on “growing the brand.” When I first joined the company, I struggled quite a bit with how to balance those two aspects. Creating great products and effectively “communicating” them require different skills, and I’ve come to realize firsthand that without strong branding, it will be difficult to succeed going forward.

Raising Awareness from the Consumer's Perspective

Based on my experience working in customer service at a department store, the most significant thing was that a consumer-oriented mindset became deeply ingrained in me. I believe that having actually observed the situations in which customers choose clothes and how they feel about them has been incredibly valuable in my current product development work.

Q: Could you tell us about the background behind launching the “gim context” brand and the women’s line “A PRACTICED HAND”?

Beyond the limits of the existing extension—toward the next era

gim has long been recognized as a company that produces classic, high-quality knitwear. While we cherish that legacy, we also felt that “staying the same wouldn’t be exciting.” We believed that if manufacturers simply continued to produce products along the same lines as before, they wouldn’t be able to connect with the new era.

The first one I launched wasgim contextThat’s the brand. I started it in partnership with a designer from Central Saint Martins in London, but the first few seasons were really tough. Many of the specifications were beyond the capabilities of the factories we’d used at GIM up to that point, so I had to find external suppliers and factories on my own to build a network of partners. The designer’s expectations were extremely high, and we faced nothing but unprecedented challenges, such as complex combinations of materials and specialized knitting techniques. The few seasons I spent working with the designer from Central Saint Martins were an incredibly educational experience for me.
It felt as though I learned everything—from the actual process of making things to the brand’s philosophy, how to present it, and even the fundamentals of branding—step by step through hands-on experience. This experience forms the foundation of my current approach to direction.

Currently,gim contextI also handle the design myself. While managing the planning and direction personally, I work alongside our in-house designers and external staff to come up with proposals that are a bit experimental. The experience I gained during the brand’s launch phase now serves as the foundation for my decision-making in product development.

Later, prompted by government subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched a women’s line. This brandA PRACTICED HANDThat's right. It all started with a connection to a designer who had been part of Raf Simons' knitwear design team when the company was first launched.
With this brand, rather than designing the pieces myself, my role is to leave it up to these designers and consider how they can best utilize gim’s materials and background. While respecting each designer’s sensibilities, we explore together what kinds of expressions are possible with knitwear—I feel that this approach is shaping gim’s new direction.

Q: Could you tell us about the changes in “manufacturing” and its future now that you have this “space” in the form of company-owned stores?

Bringing Back the Spirit of the Department Store Era to “Manufacturing”

After running a company-owned store, I gained a real, firsthand understanding of who our customers are and how they perceive our products. Being able to directly sense the feelings and reactions that I couldn’t grasp through e-commerce alone is incredibly valuable. It gave me a new perspective on product development—one I didn’t have when our business was primarily B2B.

When I was working at a department store, I interacted with customers every day, so I naturally looked at products while getting a sense of their preferences and personalities. By opening our own stores, I feel like we’ve been able to recapture that “sense of connection with customers” we had back then. Now, the team members involved in our company-owned stores and e-commerce frequently discuss “what kind of customers are coming in” and “which items are selling well.” Based on that information, we’ve started thinking about product development from the customer’s perspective—or, in other words, a B2C approach.

Basic and Experimental Lines, and Challenges in Presentation

At the store,gim contextWe’re offering both experimental lines like this one and our basic GIM line, but I’m still not entirely satisfied with how we’re presenting them. I want to refine things a bit more and strike a better balance between the two. For example, even with the basic line, I need to be more mindful of how it looks when styled—specifically, who will wear it and in what kind of setting.

In the past, it was common to wear a shirt under a thin, fine-gauge sweater, but nowadays people often wear it on its own or layer it under a jacket. When that happens, if you don’t make subtle adjustments to the pattern—such as raising the front hem or narrowing the collar width—the overall look can be ruined. Even just the line and width of the collar can completely change how it looks. So rather than simply “making something good,”How it looks in a stylingI believe we need to think about clothing from that perspective.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what the next generation of “cool older guys” will look like. Just changing the width of the pants alters the balance of the length and shoulder width, and as the overall silhouette of fashion is gradually shifting, I want to figure out what kind of “coolness” men of every generation are seeking. There are masculine styles, of course, but there are also men with a slightly androgynous vibe who will soon be entering their 40s and 50s. When that happens, the way they dress and style themselves will likely change again, and I believe a major theme for the future will be how to propose basics that suit that era.

Moving Beyond Domestic Borders: On to the Next Stage

Rather than focusing solely on the domestic market and half-heartedly producing something “bland,” I believe it’s better to truly break through and expand globally. In fact, I feel that the brand’s value will increase even more if we take products that have been recognized overseas and re-import them into Japan. Especially when building brands in the mid-price range and above, branding isn’t just about staying within Japan—being recognized abroad becomes an integral part of the process. I feel that taking on challenges in this direction will be crucial for gim moving forward.

Thank you very much, Mr. Yagihara.

What struck me most as I listened to your story was that gim is truly on the verge of being reborn through Mr. Yagihara’s fresh perspective. As the editorial team, we are delighted to have been able to witness this firsthand. What impressed me most was the high caliber of the people involved—the designers, partner factories, and the entire team. I also felt that this was a reflection of Mr. Yagihara’s own “height of perspective.” As seen in “gim context” and “A PRACTICED HAND,” these initiatives might at first glance appear to be possible only because gim is a long-established manufacturer, but in reality, the story was one of deconstructing gim’s historic production background and rebuilding it into an entirely new form. Above all, I feel that Mr. Yagihara’s own approach as creative director—effortlessly blending trends with artisanal craftsmanship—is the driving force behind gim’s current momentum. I’m truly curious to see how this flexible mindset, which overlays new values onto tradition, will evolve in the future. I’m genuinely excited to see what the future holds for the reborn gim.

gim, Inc.

GIM online store