Turning Disaster Prevention Gear into Everyday Fashion

Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture; President: Kazuaki Ikeda) has collaborated on the production of disaster prevention coats for the 'Phase Free Fashion' initiative, promoted by Specially Appointed Professor Naoko Tosa of the Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University. In this project, the company utilized its digital textile printing system, 'TRAPIS,' to perform digital printing on flame-retardant PBO fibers, which are generally considered difficult to process. This added color and design to materials that require functionality as disaster prevention gear. The PBO fiber used in these coats is a high-performance material with high strength and flame retardancy, often used for protective clothing and industrial applications. However, it has been challenging to express colors and patterns because dyes and inks do not easily adhere to it. By leveraging the features of 'TRAPIS,' which can print on a wide range of fabrics, the company realized design expression on PBO fibers. While maintaining the functionality required for disaster prevention gear, the project supported the creation of coats that can be worn naturally in daily life, not just in emergencies, by adding color and fashionability. 'Phase Free Fashion' is an initiative that proposes disaster prevention gear not as 'special items only for emergencies,' but as fashion that can be naturally worn in daily life. This project is based on the philosophy of Specially Appointed Professor Naoko Tosa, who belongs to the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University and is also active as an artist, aiming to make disaster prevention more accessible by incorporating disaster prevention clothing into daily attire. The coats feature a design based on Professor Tosa's artwork, 'Sound of IKEBANA,' adding the beauty of daily attire to the functionality required for disaster prevention. Through this collaboration, the company has demonstrated the possibility of adding color and design to high-performance materials through digital printing. The company will continue to propose new manufacturing methods that combine 'function' and 'beauty' through printing technology.