Kawasaki Ribbon’s Organic Cotton Brown (No.26) is made from naturally colored cotton developed by American cotton breeder Sally Fox.

We began working with this brown cotton nearly 20 years ago.

Today, most cotton is off-white.
But originally, cotton plants naturally produced colors such as brown and green.
For a long time, however, these naturally colored cottons were not widely used in industry because the fibers were short and not very strong.

Over many years, Sally Fox carefully improved these cotton varieties, creating cotton that keeps its natural color while also having practical strength.

Instead of bleaching cotton white and then dyeing it,
this approach begins with cotton that already has color.
In a way, it is not about adding more processes, but about reducing them.
Because the cotton already has its color, dyeing is unnecessary, which can also reduce the use of water and energy.

Photo courtesy of Taishoboseki Industries, Ltd.

However, naturally colored cotton is not easy to produce.
The spinning process requires careful control, and the raw material itself is more expensive.
From a manufacturing perspective, it is certainly not the “easier choice.”
And yet, we continue to choose this cotton.
Because we believe there is a quiet beauty in a material that already carries its own color.
Without any dyeing, this brown cotton has a gentle and naturally deep tone.

The cotton yarn is spun by Taishoboseki Industries, Ltd. , a company well known in Japan for its organic cotton yarns.
After seeing posts from Taishoboseki Industries, Ltd. , we realized that there is still so much history and beauty behind this cotton that even we did not fully know.

▼ 　Taishoboseki Industries, Ltd. – Official Website
https://www.taishoboseki.co.jp/

At Kawasaki Ribbon, we use this brown cotton to create many different ribbons, including
plain weave, twill, satin, natural × brown patterns, round cords, flat cords, decorative braids, and lace.

▼ Explore the Organic Brown Cotton Collection (Global Store)
https://kawasakiribbon-onlineshop.com/collections/organic-cotton-brown

Although we have never met Sally Fox in person, we would be very happy if she could someday see our ribbons.
Your cotton has reached a small ribbon factory in Japan.

We wanted to share the story behind this beautiful material with you.
When you hold a ribbon made from this brown cotton,
we hope it brings you a small moment of warmth and richness.

Our sincere thanks to Taishoboseki Industries, Ltd. for kindly providing the photographs.