The slowest knitting machines in the world, making the softest, fluffiest, and most comfortable sweatshirts.

We sat down with Satoshi Suzuki, owner and founder of Loopwheeler - one of the best sweatshirt makers in the world. Home of the “Tsuriami knitting machine,” Mr. Suzuki’s loopwheeler is showcasing true craftsmanship demonstrating that good things come to those who wait..one thread at a time.

Interview: SATOSHI SUZUKI

The brand Loopwheeler uses a machine for knitting sweatshirts, a hanging knitting machine that had to been used all over the world until the mid 1960s. We are a manufacturer of sweatshirts using only fabrics made with this machine.

Well, why do we stick with this hanging knitting machine? With this old knitting machine, the fabric that it makes is very comfortable. Fluffy, soft, and gentle fitting...so we focus on this.

I launched this brand that only uses fabrics made with this knitting machine back in 1999 and we are still running strong today. In contrast to ordinary, modern computer-controlled high speed machines, this fabric of fleece knitted with our machine is quite bulky and rich; it is supple.

Even if we keep washing for a long time, it is hard for it to get aged. First of all, this machine knits only one meter per hour. That means that it knits at incredibly slow speeds so that it knits up a lot of space between the threads. This makes the fabric soft and plump so that you feel warm and cozy when you wear it.

Just by wearing clothes this machine makes you’ll feel lighthearted. I feel like my heart grows warmer as well. I love this hanging knitting machine. Unfortunately, since there are no machines like this in the US anymore, I think there are a lot of people no longer aware of this kind of fabric. So we stick to manufacturing in Japan and with this quality thread comes quality sweatshirts which we distribute all over the world.

This sweatshirt’s fabric is made from such a lovely knitting machine. As a matter of fact, this brand wants to let the world know about how great this technology really is.