Free Web NovelChapter 413: Chapter 413: Jacquard Towels
Aston Marsh nodded excitedly. "I went and had a look. You really have to see it to believe it. It was a real eye-opener! Who knew a small towel could have so many different designs? I’ll show you. Wait here."
With that, he turned and ran off, returning a moment later with a stack of towels.
"Look, look! These are all the popular designs. The salesperson said people in Port Krol love using these kinds. You know Port Krol, right? It’s a place where the streets are paved with gold! What they use over there is pretty much the same as what foreigners use. If our factory could produce towels like these, we could definitely take Essia by storm and then the whole world!"
Aston Marsh spread the towels out on the bed, growing more excited as he spoke, his eyes gleaming. He was deeply attached to the towel factory and had experienced its golden age back when he first joined. The entire factory worked day and night. It was exhausting, but everyone felt a sense of fulfillment.
Back then, the factory’s towels were even exported to the Azure Archipelagos, and it was one of the county’s biggest taxpayers. But in recent years, exports had dwindled to a pitiful amount, and domestic sales were stagnant. Aston Marsh felt terrible about it and wanted to revive the factory from the bottom of his heart.
Tang Xiaonan carefully examined the towels Aston Marsh had bought. In her eyes, they still weren’t high-end or stylish enough; the fabric and patterns were too outdated. But for this era, they were already considered very premium. Capria really was the fashion trendsetter of the day, no doubt because it was so close to Port Krol.
Moreover, she noticed a few jacquard towels. ’Although jacquard weaving was invented in ancient times,’ she thought, ’jacquard machines must be rare right now, and the technology isn’t very mature.’ Tang Xiaonan recalled that Japan’s craftsmanship was more advanced at this point. She had to admit, Japan’s textile industry was years ahead of Celestia’s, even though they had learned everything from Celestia to begin with.
(P.S. Jacquard weaving refers to the process of creating raised patterns by interlacing warp and weft threads. It’s not just used for towels, but also for clothing, socks, and bedding. It’s a common technique in the textile industry, invented in China during the Eastern Han Dynasty.)
There were also several printed towels, and the patterns were actually quite nice. They had classic stripes, mandarin ducks, and floral and avian designs—all very auspicious motifs. Aston Marsh had probably bought out the store’s entire stock; there were more than a dozen of them.
"This one’s nice."
Tang Xiaonan picked up a jacquard towel and gave it a flick. ’In a few more years, jacquard towels will get more and more popular, and the market for printed towels will shrink,’ she thought. ’But what goes around comes around. Before I came here, printed towels were back in style—specifically, digitally printed towels. They were a huge hit with young people. That’s because you can print any pattern you want, just by sending the design from a computer. It’s not as complicated as regular printing, which requires creating a sample proof and involves a whole series of tedious steps. Digital printing is simple, offers tons of different styles, and is especially popular with the younger generation.’
’But if Aston Marsh wants to bring this factory back to life, he has to go all-in on developing jacquard towels. If they can come up with a variety of designs, they won’t just revive the business—they’ll be able to expand.’
"I think these look nicer too. They seem a bit fancier," Goldie Thorne readily agreed.
Aston Marsh chuckled. "You two really have good taste. These are the most expensive ones. A regular one is only forty-five cents, but these are ninety-eight cents. That’s more than double the price!"
"That much of a difference? But the material feels the same to me; it’s just the pattern that’s different." Goldie Thorne was taken aback. He picked up the two towels and rubbed them. The more he did, the more he felt the expensive one wasn’t a good deal.
"It’s a better deal to just buy the forty-five-cent one. They work the same, and it’s not like it’s clothes you have to wear to look good. It doesn’t matter for a towel," Goldie Thorne said.
