What Kawashima Selkon Textiles does

Kawashima Selkon Textiles (株式会社川島織物セルコン) is a Kyoto-based textile manufacturer founded in 1843 and operating as a subsidiary of LIXIL Corporation. The company produces custom and ready-made curtains (including the FELTA all-flame-retardant series, Sumiko Honda, Morris Design Studio, filo, itto, and JUST FIT CURTAIN lines), ceramic tile flooring, wall coverings, ceramic tile flooring, chair upholstery, interior accessories, traditional obi sashes, and art/cultural textiles including ceremonial hangings.

Its core technology combines traditional Nishijin-ori weaving techniques (本袋帯, 綜絖, 綴れ織) with modern functional fabric engineering — full-point flame retardancy, UV cutoff, heat insulation, sound absorption, and anti-virus treatments — produced at the Ichihara Factory in northern Kyoto. The company has demonstrated large-scale architectural manufacturing capability, most notably producing approximately 8,000 meters of custom textile for the EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai EXPO Hall 'Shine Hat' installation.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid B2B/B2C model: residential consumers purchase via eight owned showrooms across Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sapporo), an authorized dealer network, and an e-commerce storefront, while enterprise and contract customers (architects, interior designers, hotels, museums, public buildings) specify fabrics through a registered business portal and direct sales. The company has invested in circular-economy infrastructure (e-RECYCLED flooring and f-RECYCLED curtain-waste recycling systems) and pursues brand-building through Milan Design Week participation, the Kawashima Textile Museum, and the Kawashima Textile School. Geographic exposure is concentrated in Japan; international footprint is limited to brand/marketing presence at design events.

Name

Kawashima Selkon Textiles

Legal name

Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co.,Ltd.

Website

https://kawashimaselkon.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1843

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kawashima Selkon Textiles is a 1843-founded Kyoto-based manufacturer of premium interior fabrics, custom curtains, flooring, wall coverings, obi sashes, and art textiles, serving residential consumers, architects, designers, and contract clients across Japan through eight showrooms and a dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home & Interior Textiles

NAICS

Curtain and Linen Mills (31412), Textile Furnishings Mills (3141), Textile Product Mills (314)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200), Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton (2211), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Window Coverings Manufacturing (Curtains/Drapes/Sheers/Valances) (IMAOAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Upholstery & Furniture Textiles Manufacturing (Upholstery Fabrics/Slipcovers) (IMAOAKAD), Hospitality & Institutional Home Textiles Manufacturing (Hotel/Hospital Bedding & Towels) (IMAOAKAI), Textiles & Fabric / Piece Goods Wholesale (CRAOADAH)

Keywords

• Interior fabric manufacturing
• Custom curtain design
• Kimono obi textiles
• Architectural textile installations
• Flame-retardant furnishing fabrics

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Interior fabrics and window treatments: Custom and ready-made curtains, drapery, sheer curtains, and lace curtains sold through showrooms, dealers, and e-commerce. Includes high-end branded series (Sumiko Honda, Morris Design Studio, FELTA, filo, itto) and mass-market lines (JUST FIT CURTAIN).
2. Flooring and wall coverings: Ceramic tile flooring and wall covering materials sold through dealers and project specifications.
3. Obi sashes and kimono textiles: Formal and casual obi sashes, including本袋帯 (hon-fukuro-obi), 縫い袋帯 (sewn-fukuro-obi), and 名古屋帯 (Nagoya-obi), sold through specialty dealers and the company's own online shop.
4. Art textiles and ceremonial hangings: High-value artistic textiles (美術工芸品・緞帳) for temples, shrines, museums, and cultural institutions, often custom-commissioned.
5. Contract and architectural projects: Bespoke textile specifications for architectural and interior design projects including hotels, museums, and public buildings, as demonstrated by EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai installations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kawashima Selkon Textiles manufactures and sells interior textiles including custom-made and ready-made curtains, ceramic tile flooring, wall coverings, chair upholstery, and interior goods, alongside traditional obi sashes and kimono textiles and ceremonial art textiles. The company combines traditional Nishijin-ori weaving craftsmanship with modern functional fabric engineering (FELTA full-point flame-retardant series, e-RECYCLED and f-RECYCLED recycling systems) and serves both residential consumers and commercial/contract clients through eight company-owned showrooms, an authorized dealer network, an e-commerce storefront, and a dedicated business portal.

Product overview

Kawashima Selkon Textiles is a textile manufacturer offering a comprehensive interior fabric portfolio spanning custom curtains, ready-made curtains, flooring materials, wall coverings, chair upholstery, interior goods, kimono/obi, and art/cultural crafts. The curtain lineup includes premium designer collections (Sumiko Honda, Morris Design Studio with William Morris designs), space coordination series (filo), flame-retardant eco-certified options (FELTA), functional lace and heat-blocking designs (itto), and budget-friendly ready-made options (JUST FIT CURTAIN). The company also produces ceramic tile flooring and maintains a textile culture museum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sumiko Honda: Top designer Honda Junko-led fabric collection with concept of celebrating Japanese seasons
• Morris Design Studio
• FELTA
• filo
• itto
• JUST FIT CURTAIN

Products and services

• JUST FIT CURTAIN Ready-made curtain line available in 3 standard sizes targeting budget-conscious residential customers seeking immediate installation without custom ordering.
• Sumiko Honda Collection Premium custom curtain collection designed by Sumiko Honda, featuring exclusive high-end textile designs with a concept of celebrating Japanese seasons. Aimed at high-end residential and designer-specified projects.
• Morris Design Studio Curtain collection merging William Morris heritage textile designs with Kawashima Selkon weaving technology, including the Emery Walker sub-collection. Targeted at design-conscious residential and contract customers.
• filo Space coordination custom curtain series focused on interior design harmony, proposing coordinated space design including curtains, tassels, cushions, and rugs.
• FELTA Flame-retardant custom curtain series with eco-mark certification, comprising 457 fabric items across drapery, sheer, and lace categories. Designed for residential and contract interiors requiring fire safety compliance.
• itto Custom curtain series featuring design lace options, heat-blocking lace, and natural functional plain-tone drapes for residential and commercial interiors.
• Ceramic Tile Flooring Ceramic tile flooring materials sold through dealers and project specifications for residential and commercial interiors. Compatible with the e-RECYCLED closed-loop recycling system.
• Wall Coverings Wall covering materials sold through dealers and project specifications for residential and commercial interiors.
• Obi Sashes and Kimono Textiles Formal and casual obi sashes, including hon-fukuro-obi (本袋帯), sewn-fukuro-obi (縫い袋帯), and Nagoya-obi (名古屋帯), sold through specialty dealers and the company's own online shop. Bear the 三本線 (three-line) and 軍配 (war fan) brand marks.
• Art Textiles and Ceremonial Hangings High-value artistic textiles (美術工芸品) and ceremonial hangings (緞帳) for temples, shrines, museums, and cultural institutions, often custom-commissioned. Includes large-scale architectural textile installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero incineration of textile waste achieved through f-RECYCLED domestic collection and recycling system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Toyo Ito & Associates, ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Toyo Ito commissioned Kawashima Selkon as the primary textile production partner for the EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai EXPO Hall 'Shine Hat' project. Kawashima produced approximately 8,000m of custom white fabric for wall installations covering approximately 3,000㎡. Project led by Toyo Ito associate Kohei Kuroshiro. The project represents one of the company's most significant architectural collaborations.
• HERALBONY Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Collaboration to produce custom fabrics for HERALBONY's lifestyle brand products (sofas, chairs, stools, cushions) featuring art created by artists with intellectual disabilities. Kawashima reproduced the artists' works in fabric form for Makuake crowdfunding campaign launch. CEO 木村弘一 visited the HERALBONY atelier personally. The collaboration represents a social impact and design innovation initiative.
• FRITZ HANSENcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Danish furniture brand FRITZ HANSEN's Japanese flagship store (FRITZ HANSEN TOKYO in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, designed by Kengo Kuma) selected Kawashima Selkon FELTA curtains for light control. The project involved custom斜め (angled) cutting for curved window frames and staircase installations, demonstrating Kawashima's bespoke manufacturing capabilities.
• Yoko Ando Design (安東陽子デザイン)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTextile designer Yoko Ando, who received the Japan Institute of Architects Cultural Award 2025, designed the textile specifications for the EXPO 2025 EXPO Hall. Kawashima Selcon was selected as the manufacturing partner to realize the complex twisted curtain specifications. Ando noted the company's technical capability and reliable staff as key factors in the collaboration.
• Ryo Matsui Architecture and Urban Design Office (松井亮建築都市設計事務所)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect Ryo Matsui specified Kawashima Selkon sheer curtains (24 types of white sheer fabric, joined in strips) for the 'LIBRARIES: Books, Bookshelves and Sun' exhibition, which won the Japan Space Design Award 2023 Special Jury Prize. The collaboration explored novel uses of sheer curtains for light display and spatial partitioning.
• LIXIL and its subsidiaries and affiliatescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLIXIL is disclosed as a related company and key partner in Kawashima's privacy policy. The companies share customer data within defined joint-use frameworks. Kawashima also has a curtain display corner at the LIXIL Showroom Tokyo (Nishi-Shinjuku) and collaborates through LIXIL's building materials distribution channels.
• Kyoto Nishijin Textile Association (日本インテリアファブリクス協会)minorOthersListed as a related organization on Kawashima Selkon's website links page. The company participates in industry association activities for interior fabric standards and promotion.
• Cool Choice / Eco-First Promotion Council (エコファースト推進協議会)minorOthersListed as a related organization, indicating participation in Japanese government-backed environmental choice initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Sangetsu Corporation: Japanese interior materials company offering wallcoverings, flooring, curtains, and window films through a national showroom and dealer network; directly comparable in product scope, go-to-market, and customer base to Kawashima Selkon's interior furnishings business.
• Kvadrat: Danish premium textile manufacturer producing high-end upholstery, curtain, and acoustic fabrics for architecture and design; comparable as a design-led, premium-positioned interior textile maker targeting architects and contract projects globally.
• Marimekko: Finnish design brand with proprietary printed and woven textiles for fashion, home, and contract use; comparable as a design-IP-led textile house converting brand heritage into premium interior and lifestyle product revenue.
• Designers Guild: UK-based premium home furnishings brand with a strong curtain, upholstery, and wallcovering fabric portfolio; comparable in designer-led textile collections, premium positioning, and contract/retail dual-channel distribution.
• Zimmer + Rohde: German premium textile brand with curated collections of decorative, upholstery, and curtain fabrics for residential and contract interiors; comparable in heritage premium positioning and architectural project specification business.
• Lelièvre Paris: French high-end textile editor specializing in curtain, upholstery, and wallcovering fabrics with strong luxury hospitality and architectural project references; comparable in premium textile positioning and designer collaboration model.
• Création Métaphores: French premium textile house producing decorative and functional curtain, wallcovering, and upholstery fabrics for high-end residential and hospitality interiors; comparable in heritage-driven premium positioning and contract-project capabilities.
• Warwick Fabrics: Australian wholesale textile distributor and manufacturer offering upholstery, drapery, and contract fabrics; comparable in mid-to-premium textile range, multi-brand collection strategy, and contract/hospitality channel exposure.
• Toli Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of vinyl flooring, wallcoverings, curtains, and interior textiles serving both residential and commercial/contract markets; comparable in flooring and interior-textile product mix and direct domestic competition with Kawashima Selkon.

Broad incumbents

• Toyobo Co., Ltd. Large Japanese diversified textile and materials conglomerate spanning fibers, fabrics, and functional materials; comparable as a Japanese textiles incumbent operating across multiple segments including some interior and industrial textile applications.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kawashima Selkon Textiles