Gunze Limited (グンゼ株式会社, Gunze Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese clothing brand with its registered head office in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, its Osaka head office, and a Tokyo office.[1] It was established on August 10, 1896,[2] by Tsurukichi Hatano, and was originally known as Gunze Silk Manufacturing Co., Ltd. .[3]
The company started the Gunze Blue-Mountain Underwear brand in association with Daiei in 1962, and this brand was used for all sexes before the introduction of the Christie brand for women in 1968. In a three-year period from 1962 the brand made up 6 percent of Daiei's turnover of underwear.[4] It began selling its clothing in Thailand in 2000.[5]
The company's flagship outlet is in Harajuku.[6]
Osaka Head Office HERBIS OSAKA Office Tower, 2-5-25, Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001, Japan [...] Registered Head Office 1 Zeze, Aono-cho, Ayabe, Kyoto 623-8511, Japan [...] Tokyo Office Gunze Nihonbashi Bldg., 2-10-4 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan