Nokori Fuku
Natural-dyed towels
Fukuroya towel
Nokori Fuku
A century of showing the beauty of towels
Nokori Fuku is a brand owned by Fukuroya Towel. The company was founded in 1926 in Senshū, an area in Osaka known since the 18th century for the production of high-quality towels. Run by the Fukuroya family, it is now at its third generation.
Fukuroya Towel focuses on the manufacturing of towels that combine beauty with a great feel to the touch and high ease of use. Currently, Fukuroya Towel specializes in custom-made towels using their top-quality fabrics and colors.
The ability to find hidden beauty
The very first Nokori Fuku products proudly presented on KiGinKin, the Matcha Towel and Wine Towel, were made using natural ingredients. Yes, that's right: ingredients derived from the production of beverages, or parts that are not suitable for sale.
The company explains that “when our craftsmen noticed the abundance of rich-colored byproducts and remnants from production of wine, destined to disposal, they immediately wondered if there was no way to repurpose them”. The recycling mindset, for which almost anything can be repurposed instead of being thrown away, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. This made the craftsmen notice the high potential that was wasted when the remnants were discarded, and that is how the concept for Nokori Fuku was born: the name literally means “the remaining fortune”.
Wine towels are made using the byproduct of Merlot production.
The rich color of the Matcha Towels is obtained by using actual matcha powder to create the dye. The powder used is that which remains when grinding matcha leaves, too thin for commercial use but with a vibrant color nonetheless. Since the powder is no different from the matcha leaves used for brewing tea, it is rich in catechins. This causes the towels to have naturally high antibacterial properties
Reviving: not only materials
In 1965, shortly before the company’s 40th anniversary, the factory was destroyed in a fire, threatening the survival of the company. Despite the difficulties, they did not stop; as the disaster happened right in the middle of a new wave in the Japanese industrial revolution, the then-president decided to take the challenge and reorganize the company from scratch. This led to Fukuroya Towel introducing newer machines with higher levels of automation, which were to be controlled by the artisans that had made the name already known.
Ultimately, the extreme challenge brought by the fire of 1965 was turned into an opportunity to reach a larger audience and farther consumers. Fukuroya Towel went on to grow its market relevance, successfully recovered from the disaster, and ensured the survival of towel craftsmanship–all this while also keeping in line with times and adopting technologies that enhance creativity.
