The Yarn That Spun a First Lady

We spoke with Masaki Sato, the man behind the "First Lady's Cardigan," who has recently been the subject of much media attention.
The yarns created by Masaki Sato, a textile designer and yarn artist, are increasingly appearing in knitwear from major European fashion houses.
Indeed, Sato's yarn was used in the Nina Ricci knitwear worn by the First Lady.

From Newsweek's "Inauguration Commemorative Special Issue"

"Honestly, I'm truly delighted," Sato says when discussing the Michelle Obama knitwear.
Word spread when he informed his business partners, but the path to his yarns being featured in major European fashion houses was far from smooth.

Aspiring to Pitti Filati in Italy

His business dealings with overseas brands began after he exhibited at Pitti Filati, a knitwear yarn exhibition in Italy.
Pitti Filati is considered the pinnacle of knitwear yarns, akin to Première Vision for textiles. Sato's company not only spins yarn but also produces knitwear. After visiting an Italian yarn manufacturer at the invitation of a business partner, Sato was profoundly impressed.
"I was deeply moved by their pride in being at the forefront of setting trends."
He reflects that until then, his company had been "just a factory making ordinary, uninspired industrial yarns."

He realized that the yarns he was buying from Italian manufacturers were beyond his company's capabilities. Witnessing the "superb presentation skills" of each manufacturer at Pitti Filati, he was shocked, questioning, "What exactly are the yarns we are producing?"
"I realized it was more important to emulate their spirit than to copy their yarns or manufacturing methods."
With a dream of "aiming for Pitti Filati with Sato Seni's original yarns, hoping to exhibit there someday," Sato took immediate action upon returning to Japan.

Towards Creating Ideal Yarns: Negotiating with Technicians

To create the yarns he envisioned, Sato began by modifying old machinery.
It was not an easy path. Sato is the fourth generation to lead Sato Seni Co., Ltd. It took time to convince the technicians, who took pride in the skills inherited from previous generations at this historic factory, to accept his ideas.
He explains that "by combining the latest machinery with new production processes, we ultimately created yarns that blend design with quality." However, the entire process took nearly ten years.
"The first original yarns we presented domestically were met with mountains of returns."

After Repeated Improvements, an Exhibition at Pitti Filati

Initially, their booth was assigned to the furthest corner of the basement, and he recalls, "I was worried if anyone would even come."
However, word gradually spread through those who visited, and by the afternoon of the first day, the booth was unexpectedly crowded. Knitwear designers from major brands visited one after another, reacting with surprise upon seeing his business cards – it was a series of such moments.
"The following year, our booth was moved to a prime location on the first floor, which also greatly surprised me," Sato recalls of that time.
Masaki Sato currently serves as the Representative Director of Sato Seni Co., Ltd.
His great-grandfather, who founded the company, was a man of great vitality who started the business by raising sheep himself. This DNA has been passed down to Sato.
It is no coincidence that the progressive event of knitwear – something not typically worn in formal settings – being worn by the new fashion icon, Mrs. Obama, at the inauguration of America's first Black president, is linked to Sato's own forward-thinking approach.