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Cassie Harada: “Wool is Cool”

By on September 3, 2019

Tokyo mom, entrepreneur, master knitter and fiber artist takes Tokyo families through the looking glass and reveals how cool wool and her knitting adventures in her adopted home have won her fans.

Here at Tokyo families, we’ve fallen in love with photos of knit wears and luxury yarns Cassandra Harada, Tokyo resident for 15 years, regularly posts on facebook. The colours and designs have us cooing over her style choices.

“I think people should only be wearing 100% wool because not only does it last very long, it’s also made from natural fibers,” proudly says Harada whose strong feelings for all things organic comes from a ‘more is more’ approach – a mission in life to be able to teach people how to value deeply the finer things in life.

“When you invest in an expensive sweater for example, you should use it and commit to giving it some extra loving care.”

Harada Wool, an online shop she runs, sells knitwear patterns, fine purebred cormo wool clothing and yarns from her hometown in Illinois where her family owns and breeds 30 Tasmanian sheeps.

It is no question that when it comes to exceptionally warm fabrics, there is no match to how pure wool fibers can trap and hold a massive amount of air to keep the body warm in winter. But the cost to buy a dressy 100% Cashmere sweater for example, can go anywhere between ¥50,000 and ¥80,000 in Tokyo.

According to Harada, the whole process from skirting and shearing to spinning undergoes a lengthy and meticulous process.

“In fact, it takes roughly six months for wool to be spun into yarn,“ informs Cassie.

“I spent about ¥15,000 on yarn alone at Yuzawa when I knitted my very first sweater,” she makes a point.

“ Import taxes and cost of labor are what drive production costs up. “

Cassie’s knowledge and passion for knitting extends to not just promoting wool fibers per se. When Yoko Hatta , a renowned Japanese designer and Kazekobo Studio founder (she has been previously featured in Japan’s Vogue magazine and other famous local publications), published her first book in English, “Japanese Knitting Stitches from Tokyo’s Kazekobo Studio” , Harada was tapped to do the English translation.

The book published by Tuttle Publishing and now available at bookstore shelves in the United States, covers a wealth of aesthetically pleasing patterns using knitting techniques unique to Hatta.

photo by Carty McCarty

Despite taking a back seat from knitting workshops, Harada’s business base is rapidly growing.

Recently, she has taken a renewed interest in men’s wear as well as expanding her social media reach. Harada Wool is now on Instagram and Twitter.

“I’m not exactly sure where this is going to take me but my interest in utilitarian style of men’s wear is what I’d like to do for now so let’s see, “ says the friendly entrepreneur.

For more on her works, check her Instragram page @cassandra_harada 


Feature photos by Carty McCarty

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