Why You’ll Elevate Your Wardrobe With Japanese Cotton

When people think about high-quality cotton shirts for business, their mind typically wanders to Europe, and particularly Italy. That reputation is well-deserved. Italian cotton fabrics are produced with ad-hoc techniques and advanced machinery, ensuring impeccable quality. The mastery behind the weave combines age-old techniques with modern innovation, resulting in fabric that’s not just luxurious but also resilient. We make good use of Italian cotton ourselves at Pascalis, as one of the leading bespoke tailors in Sydney. But we also encourage you to look at Japanese cotton as an option.

Japan ranks relatively low for cotton exports – it’s the 23th largest exporter of cotton in the world – but that has a lot to do with its relatively small landmass making large, bulk production impossible.

Like many of its other agricultural industries, Japan has mastered the art of overcoming the limitations it has with producing large quantities with its ability to elevate the quality that makes “made in Japan” such a valuable stamp of assurance. Just like Japanese wagyu is the envy of the global beef industry, and Japanese fruit and vegetables look so impeccable (and somehow taste even better), Japanese cotton is of an exceptional, fastidious quality, and that makes it an excellent material for your next business shirt.

The Japanese Cotton Difference

Here’s just one example of Japanese cotton and the effort and precision that goes into its manufacturing: Kurume Kasuri cotton is made using a method that dates back over 200 years, with the knowledge being passed down from generation to generation. Kurume Kasuri cotton must use a hand-wrapped dyed thread. It must be dyed with natural indigo. It must be woven on a traditional hand loom.

It's a lot of work that goes into the creation of this fabric. Those manufacturers that do go to the effort, however, are then considered an “intangible cultural property” of Japan and the material that they produce is all-but-guaranteed to result in a masterpiece if it ends up in the hands of a good tailor.

Kurume Kasuri is an extreme (and extremely expensive) example, but the same heart and soul that goes into the crafting of that material applies to all Japanese cotton. Any cotton sourced from Japan offers a premium feel on the body, and, importantly, great longevity. Japanese cotton is hard-wearing and long-lasting. You know when you purchase a business shirt made from this material that you’ll be able to rely on it for a very long time to come.

From Japan, To Bangkok, To Your Wardrobe

At Pascalis Bespoke Tailoring, we use Japanese cotton heavily in our business shirts. We fuse the craftsmanship that goes into the creation of Japanese cotton with the raw skill of our tailors in Bangkok to be able to bring to you truly exceptional shirts, particularly suited for business suits and formal occasions.

Bangkok has developed a thriving industry around taking high-quality fabrics from around the world – including Japanese and Italian fabrics – and turning them into bespoke clothing that makes an impression in any setting.

In many years of dealing with them, we at Pascalis have found that the city’s tailors are obsessive about quality, and it’s no surprise that Japanese cotton producers are more than happy to provide their meticulous quality work to these talented tailors, contributing to the creation of shirts that are not only stylish but also durable and well-crafted.

We invite you to drop into our store the next time you’re in the Sydney CBD and see the results for yourself. As they say, seeing is believing, and we’re quite confident that as soon as you see and feel a shirt made from Japanese cotton, you’re going to be fully convinced of its value to your professional wardrobe.

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Why Good Tailoring Beats Shorts In The Summer Heat

By Michael Pascalis • October 24, 2025

Smarter tailoring, breathable fabrics, and better cuts keep you cool and professional—without resorting to shorts at work.

Eight Things to Consider for Your Summer Suit

October 22, 2025

The conversation about summer dressing too often circles back to gimmicks. Shorts in the office, polo shirts in the boardroom, but these are symptoms of a deeper problem: we have forgotten how to make and wear proper clothing for the climate we live in. A summer suit, chosen with care, remains the most elegant answer. But not all suits are created equal. If the heat leaves you dreaming of linen drawstrings, it’s not the suit’s fault. It’s the wrong suit. Here are eight considerations that turn summer tailoring from punishment into pleasure. 1. Fabric First The single most important decision is fabric. Natural fibres are non-negotiable. Polyester and other synthetics trap heat and suffocate the skin; they are cheap in every sense of the word. Tropical wool, with its fine yarn and open weave, has been the quiet hero of summer tailoring for decades. Linen, either pure or in a wool blend, brings unmatched breathability and texture. Cotton offers a crisp alternative for the more casual office. The principle is simple: fabric should breathe. 2. Lightness of Weave Weight is not enough; weave matters too. A dense cloth, no matter how fine, will feel like armour in January. Fresco, hopsack, and other open-weave constructions let air circulate without sacrificing drape. They prove that you don’t need to bare skin to keep cool. 3. The Case for Unlined Jackets Every layer in a suit traps heat. A fully lined jacket in the peak of summer is as unnecessary as it is uncomfortable. Half-lined or unlined jackets offer structure without insulation. Stripped back to its essentials, the jacket still frames the shoulders, flatters the waist, and gives shape, only now it does so without suffocating the wearer. 4. Rethinking Fit The tyranny of the skinny suit has done more to ruin summer dressing than the thermometer ever could. Narrow lapels, shrunken jackets, and trousers cut like leggings may look sharp in shop windows, but in the real world they cling, sweat, and stifle. A summer suit demands room to breathe: a touch more fullness in the chest, pleats in the trousers, a slightly longer rise. These small concessions to airflow make all the difference. 5. Freedom of Movement Tailoring was never meant to be restrictive. The best summer suits allow ease: side vents that open as you walk, trousers that fall cleanly without gripping the thigh, shoulders that move without resistance. Comfort is not the enemy of style, but rather it is its foundation. 6. The Role of Colour Summer is no time for charcoal and midnight navy. Dark cloth absorbs heat and looks heavy against the season’s light. Pale grey, beige, sky blue are shades that reflect the sun and signal ease. Seersucker, with its puckered surface, even lifts the fabric off the skin to create tiny channels of air. If ever there was a fabric designed for August, this is it. 7. Care and Longevity Summer is unforgiving. Suits face sweat, humidity, and relentless sun. The careless solution is cheap rotation: buy more, wear them out, throw them away. The wiser approach is investment. A well-made summer suit, rested between wears and hung to air, will last for years. Quality not only looks better, it endures. 8. Dressing with Intent The final consideration is not technical but philosophical. A summer suit is more than cloth and cut. It is a statement that professionalism need not wilt in the heat, that respect for the occasion is not seasonal. To wear one well is to prove that elegance adapts. Shorts may make headlines; tailoring makes an impression. There is nothing radical about suggesting that a summer suit can be cool, comfortable, and dignified. It has always been possible. The knowledge is there, in the choice of fabric, the looseness of cut, the restraint of lining, the play of colour. What is required is not reinvention but remembrance: a return to tailoring that understands climate rather than fights it. Eight considerations for made to measure suits for summer, then, but really one principle: good clothes work with the body, not against it. And in the heart of summer, a well-made suit is not a contradiction. It is liberation.