We have created HIME plus silk thread by covering the spun silk yarn with “Matsuoka-Hime®” of a Japan-made
raw silk.
HIME plus has the fully benefits of pure silk, such as luster, texture, and softness to the touch for
knitwear.
Then it is washable and easy-care at home.
HIME plus is a soft-machine washable silk thread of a unique structure that has natural protein
added spun silk covered by raw silk filament “Matsuoka-Hime”. And it is 100% natural silk fiber
that is so soft and beautiful that your skin loves.
Tradition meets Innovation
Rice cultivation and Sericulture (cocoon production) are traditional formal events carried by the
Imperial Family as the symbols of Japanese culture handed down to the present days.
Japan’s modernization since started in 1868 was driven by the exporting trade of raw silk.
After the Meiji Restoration, 3,000 Samurai in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture cultivated the
Matsuoka area land into mulberry fields and worked hard to produce silk worm cocoons.
However, Japanese sericulture peaked in 1930 and cocoon production has continued to decline.
Today it is said that only mere 0.3% silk products distribute in Japan are entirely domestically
produced.
ITOKO is committed to keeping and developing the existence of silk industry culture.
In 1997 “Matsuoka-Hime” was established as a unified brand from cocoon name, raw silk to silk fabric and
Kimono and now well-recognized as the top quality of silk.
Now we meet the Japanese new technology to create “HIME- plus”. It is the specially covered silk yarn
using raw silk thread “Matsuoka-Hime”, which is suitable for knitwear, Hime-plus is a completely new
washable silk yarn made from totally natural materials.
The benefits of HIME-plus
Washable with natural materials without impurities
No resin coating from petroleum
Easy-care, can be washed at home, and has the fully benefits of pure silk
HIME-plus is made of only natural materials without impurities.
By soaking silk yarn with a specialized protein different from silk amino acids, we stabilize the
molecular arrangement created by natural protein’s peptide bonds.
As only natural materials are used to ensure stability of yarn shape, the soft texture of silk
itself continues to be comfortable by washing in water at home. Silk is a natural fiber that your
skin loves.
And it is pure natural to be eco-friendly for our environment.
Silk spun yarn used as the core and cross-covered with raw silk
Beautiful luster of elegance on the silk surface
Control fluffing of silk yarn characteristics
HIME plus is cross-covered so that the raw yarn is wrapped around the core yarn (spun silk yarn).
The surface of the yarn has an elegant and beautiful luster unique to long-fiber raw silk.
Cross-covering also has the effect of controlling fluffiness, which is a weak point of silk spun
yarn.
HIME plus thread is truly the best hybrid made of both short-fiber spun silk yarn and long-filament
raw silk thread.
Matusoka-Hime, pure Japanese silk used as covering thread
The top quality of 100％ Japan-made raw silk
HIME plus has the unique structure covered by raw silk filament made of Japanese domestic cocoon silk
Matusoka-Hime.
Matsuoka-Hime is one of the three most superior silkworm breeds grown by domestic sericultural
farmers in Japan.
It has the top quality silk nurtured by Japan’s rich soil, water, sunlight, and wind, and is
characterized by its beautiful luster, soft and gentle touch, and lightness.
The name of HIME plus comes from Matsuoka-Hime.
The benefits of silk
HIME-plus a soft-machine washable silk natural fiber made of natural materials only then it has the fully
benefits of silk, such as absorbency, humidity control and deodorizing effect
Moisture absorption/desorption
Silk is 1.3 to 1.65 times more moisture absorbent than cotton, and at the same time, silk has the
excellent benefits of moisture desorption.
Silk absorbs moisture so quickly from our skin inside clothes and releases humidity at once when
dry that it keeps body comfortable at all the time you ware.Deodorant
Silk has the original natural effect of reducing unpleasant everyday odors like smell of sweat
and aging.UV rays cut
Silkworms make cocoons as their shelter in order to keep them in safety.
That means HIME-plus,only natural silk fiber without any petroleum-based material, has the great
benefits of highly shielding Ultra Violet rays.Reliable quality
HIME-plus has superior tensile strength compared to ordinary raw filament thread. In general,
silk yarns have an image of being delicate,
but HIME-plus silk thread is strong enough that it does not easily pill or wrinkle.Skin-friendly
The proteins of our bodies are composed of just 20 kinds of amino acids, and with 18 of them also
are founded in natural silk itself.
Then silk is a material of high affinity with human skin.Washable and clean
HIME-plus has been made soft-machine washable without any impurities or petroleum-derived
additives. Using only natural materials, the shape stability is ensured comfortability and the
texture of silk itself stay with you everywhere all seasons.
HIME-plus Thread Information
| Product name | HIME plus |
|---|---|
| Material | silk 100% |
| HIME-plus Thread Information | 1/26.3Nm（342d） |
| Amount per cone | 26.3km/kg |
| Minimum order quantity | 3kg/1color |
| Country of production | Japan |