In this article, I would like to talk about the events that took place during the wartime and postwar reconstruction.
The foresight of Yamamoto and his son
Just as the company was beginning to receive large orders for dust-proof eyewear, war broke out in 1937. While the company continued its business in a small way, their house was burnt down in an air raid.
However, the company escaped the war by hiding its manufacturing machines and tools in the garden and submerging the celluloid material used for eyeglass frames inside a well because it was flammable, so that they could start making eyewear as soon as the war was over. They are too well prepared, Yamamoto and his son....
Swimming goggles with SWAN brand
In 1945, soon after the war, he started manufacturing swimming goggles using celluloid material that had been saved from the war fire. The swimming goggles were made to catch fish in rivers and seas due to food shortages and were named “Swan brand swimming goggles” named after a picture of a swan that was once admired in Kobe harbor.
Immediately after the launch of the product, sales did not start well because it was right after the war, but once advertisements were placed under the name “Swan brand swimming goggles,” inquiries and orders started coming continuously from all over Japan.
Aviation eyewear made for the Japan Defense Agency
Establishing a foundation in the field of industrial safety protective equipment
In the 1950s, in response to requests from steel companies, Yamamoto began manufacturing light-shielding glasses for use during welding.
There was a rush of orders for products that established the very foundation of the current “YAMAMOTO” brand of industrial safety protective equipment, including welding glasses from shipbuilding companies and requests for dust-proof protective goggles from railroad companies.
Yamamoto was also selected as a designated factory by the Defense Agency and began producing aviation goggles and protective glasses for pilots.
The beginning of goggle production for the public
Our product development for the general public began in the 1950s, when our products attracted the attention of motorcycle riders. At that time, roads were not as well maintained as they are today, and our dust-proof eyewear was useful to protect motorcycles and scooters used for business from dust.
SWAN name goes beyond Japan
Around the mid-1950s, the company began to export its products overseas, and the name “SWAN” began to be used for overseas markets.
How it came to be pluralized from SWAN to SWANS, and how it came to be developed as a sports brand, is a topic for the next time!
This is the story from the wartime period to postwar reconstruction and the accompanying increase in demand. This is the end of the history of SWANS in terms of period.
From the next article, I would like to talk about the history of matters that created the SWANS of today, such as anti-fog technology and our relationship with professional athletes.
