Quality is one of the things we are passionate about at Wacoal. To preserve that Wacoal quality, we are fanatical about research and development and quality control.
A Passion for Quality and Research
We have made beauty into a science, and the starting point for all Wacoal's products is always science. There is basic research based upon the analysis of vast quantities of data; product development that gives shape and form to these insights; and quality control that makes sure the products are safe. It is the combining of these three kinds of know-how that results in the birth of a Wacoal product. Each of these sciences makes its unique combination to each and every one of our products. Below are examples of Wacoal's passion to perform.
Established in 1964, the Human Science Research Center has been conducting basic research of the female body for more than 40 years. The center collects physical data from one thousand women a year, from girls in their late teens to women in their sixties, and now has a stock of data for over 40,000 individual subjects. Taking regular measurements from the same women over a long time frame enables Wacoal to gain profound insights into the physical changes that accompany the aging process. The Human Science Research Center is truly a place where people and science meet.
The movement of the human body is another focus of the Human Science Research Center. Our research findings are incorporated into the development of products like girdles that actively help seniors with walking, or high-function sportswear that promotes conditioning during exercise.
The center is also researching the all-important question of comfort and feel - how your clothes or undergarments feel when you are wearing them. We analyze people's sensory and physiological responses to three key stimuli: temperature - is it warm or cool? pressure - is it loose-fitting or tight? touch - is it pleasant to the touch or not? This research helps us to create easy-to-wear products that feel good against your skin.
Wacoal is also passionate about looking at and analyzing market needs carefully and methodically. The insights of the Human Science Research Center; the opinions relayed to us by our customer service centers and beauty advisers; data on the latest trends in international markets; a range of marketing surveys; and, last but not least, bloggers and the voice of "the street" . . . Product development at Wacoal is based on analyzing information garnered from all around the world.
A nice look and innovative design are not the only things that set Wacoal products apart. We also create new value---things that never existed before. From the 1960s to the present day, we have come up with revolutionary creations like the Tummy Girdle, the Front Hook Bra, Shape Pants, the Good-Up Bra, high-function sportswear that actively conditions the body, and comfy innerwear for older people. Our latest breakthrough is the Style Science Series, inner wear that actively helps with walking. We intend to keep on creating this kind of "new value" for you in the years ahead too.
Over the years Wacoal has accumulated unique technological know-how about sewing and sewing machines. At Wacoal's factories, we combine this technology with innovative materials and futuristic design to produce top-quality products with maximum efficiency. Several decades worth of our design and sewing experience has been organized into a database which, when used in tandem with the latest technology, enables us to leverage our accumulated know-how for best results.
There's something else we are fanatical about at Wacoal. Any concept destined for commercial release must clear a barrage of quality tests. The concept must prove it has the quality our customers expect from Wacoal products in terms of safety, design, being easy to wear and consumability, with prototypes being made according to these criteria. These prototypes are subjected to a range of tests that include both being worn by experienced monitors and scientific evaluations of functionality. In the factory, the whole process of cutting and sewing is rigorously managed according to Wacoal's quality criteria. Only after the finished article has made it through a comprehensive and stringent final quality check is it delivered to our customers as a Wacoal product. Our refusal to compromise on quality explains why Wacoal was the first apparel company to receive ISO 9001 (international quality management standardization) accreditation.
