The Future of Japanese Fashion Business -Digital Textiles and Inkjet Printing-

Abstract

The inkjet printing technology has been introduced to the Japanese textile/apparel industries and fashion distribution for some time and is becoming increasingly popular. It is hoped to play a vital role in the digital transformation (DX) of the Japanese fashion business. However, the definitions of “digital textiles” and the Japanese term for inkjet printing on textiles, “inkjet nassen,” vary depending on the stakeholders involved at different stages of the fashion business. This paper summarizes the broadest interpretations of “digital textiles” in its current usage and examines how “nassen” technology has been applied in modern Japanese textile dyeing methods. Then, the future of the Japanese fashion business is explored by positioning inkjet printing not just as a technological tool but as the latest successor to Japanese motif dyeing methods, which have long been valued for producing high-quality and value-added products—products that inkjet printing could continue to differentiate from competitors overseas.