News

After a hard day at the office there’s nothing like a nice long shower … not so much for yourself, but

for your new ‘you beaut’ pure Merino suit. For the time-poor smart dresser comes the ultimate in easy care: a suit that washes clean in the shower and dries in time for another day in corporate Japan.

And it needs no ironing!

It is called the Shower Clean Suit and is the world’s first wool, non-iron suit, which can be rinsed

under a normal shower stream to remove all the dirt, stains and odours accrued during everyday wear.

The rinse and clean suit is a joint product development between AWI, The Woolmark Company and pioneering suit retailer Konaka & Co. Ltd. The Shower Clean Suit was unveiled in February at Konaka Group stores in Japan, in time for the coming spring/summer 2008 season.

AWI, The Woolmark Company and Konaka are also jointly responsible for other laundry-busting innovations such as the Rain Suit, which repels water and oil, the Super Non-Wrinkle Suit, and the Air-Fit Suit, which is light, warm and comfortable. These products have already begun building a growing following among busy business people. Shower Clean Suits are particularly futuristic because of their remarkable capacity to allow dirt to be rinsed off in a warm shower without detergent. Hung up to dry, the suit can be worn again without ironing, still retaining the original wool texture and the suit’s fabric quality and fit.

The Shower Clean Suit’s environmental credentials are further enhanced by the fact it does not need dry cleaning and can be cleaned quickly, with minimal water use. Smog, dirt, smoke, smells and stains from food and drink rinse away after just a few minutes under a 40˚C shower.

The suits have a hollow fabric structure that allows air to pass through and embody a blend of fabrics – one made of pure wool and the other containing wool and polyester at the ratio of 83:17.

Water repellent is added to the suits, while an eco-super 3D processing is used to maintain shape. The final finish uses the natural amino acid L-cysteine – found in hair, nails and skin – to maintain the Shower Clean Suit’s shape.

The suits were designed by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto and British designer John Pearse and are marketed under the brand names Kansainan