Takubo

What Takubo does

Takubo Co., Ltd. (田窪株式会社) is a privately held Japanese B2B fiber and apparel auxiliary materials trading company founded in 1934, headquartered in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. The company sources, distributes, and supplies industrial sewing thread, linings, interlinings, lace, elastic bands, fasteners, buttons, tapes, ribbons, packaging materials, textiles, cutting and finishing products, sewing machine parts, shoulder pads, and miscellaneous fiber products. Takubo holds agency or distribution agreements with three of the world's leading sewing thread manufacturers (COATS, A&E, and AMANN) and with YKK for fasteners, allowing it to act as an independent intermediary recommending optimal products from multiple suppliers.

The company serves apparel manufacturers, sewing factories, uniform and sports apparel producers, and protective clothing manufacturers, with customers primarily in Japan and growing operations in China and Vietnam. Takubo generates revenue through one-time product sales across fiber materials, packing materials, and finished/accessory products, supplemented by professional services including import/export agency, consulting, overseas expansion support, and total-support supply for sewing factory operations. Its go-to-market is sales-led: field sales representatives conduct route sales, proposal-based selling, and relationship management across 13+ offices, complemented by the TAKUBO Online e-commerce shop (launched June 2021) and a digital procurement integration with the sitateru CLOUD platform (May 2022). Pricing is custom quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is family-controlled, with leadership transitioning in April 2021 to President Megumi Kawai, and operates several wholly-owned subsidiaries including Takubo Holdings, Takubo Kosan, TK Corporation, Takubo Hong Kong, Shanghai Takubo Trading, and TAKUBO VIETNAM.

Name

Takubo

Legal name

田窪株式会社 (Takubo Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://takubo-grp.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Takubo is a 1934-founded Japanese B2B trading company that distributes industrial sewing thread, linings, buttons, fasteners, and other apparel auxiliary materials to apparel manufacturers, sewing factories, uniform and protective clothing producers across Japan, China, and Vietnam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apparel Auxiliary Materials Trading

NAICS

Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Textiles, Fabrics, Trims & Components Suppliers (CRAAAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Textiles & Fabric / Piece Goods Wholesale (CRAOADAH)

Keywords

• Industrial sewing thread
• Apparel auxiliary materials
• Textile trading
• Fiber materials wholesale
• Sewing accessories distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Imabari-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fiber Materials Sales: Sales of industrial sewing thread, lining, interlining, lace, and other sewing accessories to apparel manufacturers and sewing factories.
2. Packing Materials Sales: Sales of packaging materials including craft tape, cloth tape, PP tape, PP bands, and cushioning materials.
3. Product Sales: Sales of finished products including textiles, cutting tools, sewing machine parts, and total support services for sewing factory operations.
4. Agency Services: Document preparation, import/export agency services, test data acquisition, and shipping operations agency services.
5. Consulting Services: Consulting services, complex business issue resolution, overseas expansion support, and overseas business support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Takubo is an independent fiber trading company founded in 1934 that distributes industrial sewing threads, linings, interlinings, laces, elastic bands, fasteners, buttons, tapes, ribbons, packing materials, textiles, cutting and finishing products, sewing machine parts, shoulder pads, and miscellaneous fiber products to apparel manufacturers and sewing factories. The company holds agency contracts with world-leading manufacturers such as COATS, A&E, AMANN, and YKK, and also provides import/export agency, consulting, and overseas expansion support services.

Product overview

Takubo is a fiber trading company (繊維商社) specializing in apparel auxiliary materials (アパレル副資材), established in 1934. The company operates three main service categories: ① Selling of fiber materials (工業用ミシン糸, 裏地, 芯地, レース, 繊維雑品), ② Selling of packing materials (包装資材, テープ, リボン), and ③ Selling of products (ボタン, ファスナー, テキスタイル, 裁断・仕上げ用品, ミシン部品関連, 肩パッド, 工業用織ゴム). Core products include Industrial Sewing Machine Thread as the foundational offering, supplemented by a comprehensive lineup of sewing auxiliary materials such as linings, interlinings, lace, elastic bands, fasteners, buttons, tapes, ribbons, packing materials, textiles, cutting/finishing products, sewing machine parts, shoulder pads, and miscellaneous fiber products. The company also offers Total Support services for factory operations and operates TAKUBOオンライン, an e-commerce platform for direct online product sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAKUBOオンライン (TAKUBO Online): Online store for purchasing thread and sewing materials

Products and services

• Industrial Sewing Machine Thread Industrial sewing machine threads including polyester, nylon, cotton, silk, and specialty threads, supplied under agency contracts with the world's three largest thread manufacturers (COATS, A&E, AMANN). For sale to apparel manufacturers and sewing factories.
• Lining Lining materials from leading domestic manufacturers with extensive color variations, including antistatic and heat-resistant high-performance options, sold to apparel manufacturers for garment production.
• Interlining Interlining materials for garment structure and shape retention supplied to apparel manufacturers.
• Lace Lace fabrics for decorative and functional applications in apparel, supplied to garment manufacturers.
• Industrial Elastic Bands Industrial woven elastic bands including flat rubber, cord rubber, and custom jaguar rubber, supplied to apparel manufacturers.
• Fasteners and Zippers Fasteners including YKK products and custom orders, from stock items to bespoke production including sample small-lot orders, sold to apparel manufacturers.
• Buttons

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COATScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld's leading sewing thread manufacturer. Takubo holds agent distribution contracts enabling comprehensive product lineup for Japanese and overseas markets.
• A&E (American & Efird)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld's third largest sewing thread manufacturer. Agent contract provides comprehensive thread product range for diverse customer needs.
• AMANNcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman-based world-leading sewing thread manufacturer. Agent distribution partnership expands product portfolio for premium market segment.
• YKKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld's largest zipper/fastener manufacturer. Partnership enables flexible proposals from ready-made to custom orders for fasteners.
• FC ImabariminorOthersProfessional soccer club in Imabari city. Takubo sponsors FC Imabari as part of community contribution and future-oriented local society support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• YKK Corporation: World's largest zipper and fastener manufacturer; also a Takubo distribution partner. Operates upstream of Takubo in the value chain, but competes in adjacent product categories (fasteners) where apparel customers may choose between manufacturer-direct sourcing and Takubo's intermediated offering.
• ITOCHU Corporation: One of Japan's largest sogo shosha, with a major textiles division that distributes apparel-related products globally. Represents the upper bound of scale for trading-company comparables serving apparel manufacturers.
• SEIREN Co., Ltd. Japanese textile manufacturer specializing in synthetic fabrics and apparel materials. While vertically integrated rather than a distributor, SEIREN represents a comparable scale player in the Japanese textile/apparel materials ecosystem.
• Sojitz Corporation: Japanese trading company with textile and apparel operations, including former subsidiary Naigai Textile. Provides a comparable trading-company model, albeit at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Kanematsu Corporation: Japanese sogo shosha (general trading company) with a significant textiles and apparel division. Operates a much broader portfolio, but the textile/apparel auxiliary materials segment overlaps conceptually with Takubo's distribution business.

Direct peers

• Toyoshima & Co., Ltd. Japanese textile and apparel trading company with a similar intermediary/distributor business model, serving apparel manufacturers across product categories. Closest comparable in terms of role in the Japanese apparel supply chain.
• Morito Co., Ltd. Japanese apparel accessories manufacturer and distributor listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Overlaps directly with Takubo's product categories (buttons, fasteners, tape, trims) and serves similar B2B apparel customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=62_PBjU61m4&t=4s
• Instagraminstagram.com/takutaku_5050

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Takubo