The natural enemy of irons
Washing them is a hassle, but ironing them is annoying.
Just imagining having to repeat the same process for the shirts that accumulate from Monday to Friday, when even just one shirt is time-consuming, makes me furious.
Nowadays, office casual wear has become so prevalent that some might say, “Why don’t you just wear rough clothes to work!” But my workplace is different.
Wearing a shirt and tie is the battle uniform for X-men of the X-Generation, and we must exude a sense of “work-readiness” to clients and others with whom we work. This is not a glittering IT workplace like Cyber Agent.
However, I don’t have the energy to fight the daily mass production of “clone troopers,” so I bring my accumulated shirts to the dry cleaner in town, but I don’t want to go all the way to the station on my day off just to hand over a shirt.
I don’t usually do much work, but on my days off, I want to heal my wounded mind and body with medical machines such as futons and sofas.
Trade-offs
I was heard that “home-delivery dry cleaning is convenient because they come to your house to pick up your laundry!” I tried to gather more information, but it was no good.
If the round-trip shipping cost is the same as the dry cleaning cost for five shirts, it is too much for me, a non-resident of SKY Castle.
If I become a millionaire in the future, I would like to say, “Throw away what you have worn once,” instead of using the dry cleaning service.
Another reason is that I am worried that the fabric of my favorite “Kamakura shirts” will be damaged by an unfamiliar delivery service.
Ironing is a hassle, but home delivery is not suitable in terms of cost and quality, so I have no choice but to visit the dry cleaners on my days off.
“There must be a way out of this boring dilemma!” The answer is non-iron shirts.
Have you ever heard of the W&W (wash and wear) index? It is a numerical expression of the degree to which wrinkles remain after washing.
W&W grades range from 1.0 (wrinkles remain) to 5.0 (100% wrinkle cut), with grades 2.5 and above being considered wearable as is.
The “form-stabilized shirts” that have been on the market since the first half of the 1990s have a W&W grade of 3.2 or higher, which can cut wrinkles by about half.
Although not completely iron-free, the speed of drying after washing and wrinkle resistance were astonishing.
In fact, I was so impressed that I decided to part ways with my cumbersome ironing life by using the form-stabilized shirts. and replaced the clone troopers in my closet.
However, since the ratio of polyester fibers in a form-stabilized shirt increases, it is less comfortable to the touch and to wear than 100% cotton shirts.
Above all, the fabric loses its luster, so when I took off my suit jacket, I lost tension, and after a short period of time, I returned to cotton shirts.
PALPA and NON IRON MAX
The product I came across was the “Kamakura Shirt PALPA“, a shirt with a wrinkle-resistant finish while maintaining the quality of cotton.
By using polyester for the core to stabilize the shape and cotton yarn wrapped around the polyester core, they have created an “easy-care shirt that feels like 100% cotton.”
The shirt has a W&W rating of 3.5, so “almost no ironing is required,” and if there are any areas that are bothering you, just apply Panasonic’s garment steamer.
I don’t own a fashionable item like a clothes steamer!” Don’t worry, all sales persons who shouted in your hearts, “I don’t have a clothes steamer!”
While keeping the goodness of cotton, it exceeds PLAPA’s W&W property of 4.0 (almost wrinkle-free after washing. 90% wrinkle cut rate) shirts are available.
It is “AOYAMA TRADING NON IRON MAX.“
You may think, “There is no big difference between W&W 3.5 and 4.0,” but you will be surprised at the wrinkle resistance (form stability) of NON IRON MAX when compared to PALPA and NON IRON MAX after washing and drying.
This 100% cotton shirt that does not require an iron or even a clothes steamer is an extraordinary product, and in the world of Gundam, it can be called a “new type.”
It would be good to use PALPA & clothes steamer for daily use and NON IRON MAX for business trips, depending on the atmosphere when the shirt is worn.
“Farewell ironing and holiday cleaning.” I would like to express our sincere thanks to Unitika and Nisshinbo for developing such wonderful fabrics.
