History of Brother Sewing Machines

Kanekichi Yasui

Humble Beginnings

The company started out as a family-run business back in 1908 when Kanekichi Yasui setup the Yasui Sewing Machine Co. in Nagoya, Japan. There, in a small workshop, Kanekichi repaired damaged sewing machines and manufactured replacement parts.

Kanekichi's eldest son, Masayoshi, had taken a particular interest in his father’s work, offering to help in the workshop from nine-years old and subsequently started building his knowledge of the industry as an apprentice in Osaka. In 1925, Masayoshi inherited his father’s company and, alongside his younger brother, Jitsuichi Masayoshi, renamed it Yasui Brothers’ Sewing Machine Co.

Within a market heavily focused on the importation of products, the Yasui brothers hoped to counter-balance this culture and, through domestic production, create products they could export instead. With this aim, they transformed their father’s small sewing machine workshop into a large-scale factory, establishing the motto 'superior quality and diligent service' that Brother still stands by today.

Kanekichi Yasui died in November 1925; YASUI SEWING MACHINE CO. was succeeded by his son, Masayoshi. The company name changed to YASUI BROTHER’S SEWING MACHINE CO., and a new sales outlet was set up on the main street in Temma-cho, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya.

Brother First chain stitch sewing machine

A Family Affair

By 1928, the Yasui brothers celebrated the creation of their first domestically produced product, a chainstitch sewing machine. Created to facilitate the production of straw hats, the durability of the chain-stitch machine helped it gain popularity beyond other leading machines on the market at the time.

With this momentum, the Yasui brothers continued to diversify and develop their technology and by 1932, Jitsuichi succeeded in the production of a shuttle hook and created the first home sewing machine to be made entirely in Japan.

Two years later, with plans to produce sewing machines en masse, the Yasui Brothers' Sewing Machine Co. was l incorporated under a larger manufacturing company called Nippon Sewing Machine Manufacturing Co. Production continued to flourish, leading to the establishment of Brother’s sales network Brother Sales, Ltd. and a consumer market beyond their home country.

The 1920s

Following Kanekichi’s retirement from the company in May 1923, his sons, Masayoshi and Tokio inherited the company. After two years of painstaking efforts, the Yasui Brothers established a new store named Yasui Brothers’ Sewing Machine Co. and in 1928, launched the first Japanese -manufactured chain stitch sewing machine into the market.

Later, the brand would be famously known as BROTHER, symbolizing the cooperation displayed in realizing their dream of creating their sewing machine. This new company would independently manufacture Japanese sewing machines that would surpass all machines, manufactured overseas because of their durability.

The 1930s

The goal of manufacturing sewing machines was targeted, with the production of their first straight-lock stitch sewing machine. By 1932 the Yasui brothers were able to manufacture shuttle hooks and later built machine facilities to mass produce the parts. Shuttle hooks allow the bobbin thread to loop around the assembly and eliminate friction, thus, improving stitch quality.

While the straight-lock stitch sewing machine increased sales, the demand for military-use sewing machines grew. Brother invented an automatic gear cutter to mass produce industrial sewing machines and in 1936, was already manufacturing industrial sewing machines.

The 1950s

Looking for someone to distribute the sewing machine in the United States, Mr. Yasui would later meet a guy named Roy Nakagawa, a former Japanese-American soldier who, after the war, was into the export business.

Previously assigned to the University of Michigan, Roy taught the Japanese language to American soldiers. During his tour of duty in Japan, he was contacted by his former student, Max Hugel, and Bernie Etzin, to join their company that exports Japanese-made novelties to the U.S.

Mr. Yasui asked to take on the role of official U.S. distributor because of the sewing machines’ solid reputation for quality and dependability as well as, their distinctively American moniker, BROTHER. As a result, Brother International Corporation emerged. At this period, Brother’s goods included tiny lathes for schools, electric fans, home sewing machines, zigzag sewing machines, home knitting machines, and home washing machines.

The 1960s

The passion for stitching blossomed further in 1968 after they acquired the Jones sewing machine factory in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester. The company was already firmly established, becoming one of Britain’s favorite brands under their wing.

In the same year, Brother steamed ahead by introducing the B-701 electric machine model, which cut production time in half and revolutionized the sewing industry.

The 1970s

To finance its rapid product expansion (more than 10 million produced in 1971), Brother International Corporation went public in 1972. The event made history as it enabled Brother to become the first company in Wall Street’s history, with 50% foreign ownership and to receive full S1 SEC ownership.

Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse because of the mid-70s recession Brother shares dropped in value. Not wanting shareholders to lose money on their investment, the management decided to buy back all shares immediately, and Brother International Corporation once again became a private company in 1976. In the 1970s, Brother products had expanded to electric and computerized sewing machines, computerized monogramming machines, punch card knitting machines, computer keyboards, calculators, industrial sewing machines, manual and electric typewriters, and dot matrix printers.

In 1979, Brother introduced the Computer-Sew 1000, the first computerized home sewing machine. Compact, versatile, and with a small array of included accessories, Computer-Sew 1000 continued Brother’s trend as the industry leader.

The 1970s

To finance its rapid product expansion (more than 10 million produced in 1971), Brother International Corporation went public in 1972. The event made history as it enabled Brother to become the first company in Wall Street’s history, with 50% foreign ownership and to receive full S1 SEC ownership.

Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse because of the mid-70s recession Brother shares dropped in value. Not wanting shareholders to lose money on their investment, the management decided to buy back all shares immediately, and Brother International Corporation once again became a private company in 1976. In the 1970s, Brother products had expanded to electric and computerized sewing machines, computerized monogramming machines, punch card knitting machines, computer keyboards, calculators, industrial sewing machines, manual and electric typewriters, and dot matrix printers.

In 1979, Brother introduced the Computer-Sew 1000, the first computerized home sewing machine. Compact, versatile, and with a small array of included accessories, Computer-Sew 1000 continued Brother’s trend as the industry leader.

The 1980s

The 1980s were a decade of commitment and vision for the company. Market place had changed, and the distribution channels were evolving. Brother began circulating higher-end products to dealers and entered a new distribution channel called “the office superstores.” Brother continued to cement its catchphrase, “to be at your side” with intelligent, in-demand product solutions, essential programs, and support.

Brother knew it had to expand its product offerings and this is the best evidence by the introduction of its first models of fax machines and word processors in 1987. The company reached $200 million in 1984 because of resilient marketing and product development.

The 1990s

1991 was the release of the first Brother Home Embroidery Machine, the PC7000 computerized sewing machine with an embroidery function. The machine had a memory card that enabled the reproduction of 900 types of patterns and colorful embroidery using a maximum of 5 colors. The new machine features an automatic thread cutter and thread tension adjuster, making it easy to use.

Aside from the “think local” approach, Brother wanted to absorb the benefit of acting globally. In 1994, it began instituting an internationally accepted system for overseeing all aspects of supply chain management. In 1998 the company established an R&D and manufacturing facility in Bartlett, Tennessee, and sales territories were expanded to Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. Later that year, Brother moved its U.S. corporate headquarters to a new state-of-the-art office located in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The 1990s also saw the launch of Brother.com, where consumers could easily navigate the company’s wide range of categories and products on the internet.

The 2000s

Half a century after it took the home sewing world by storm, the release of the groundbreaking ULT2001 took the home/craft sewing dynamic to the next level. With over 100 built-in stitches and nine additional feats to create, the release of the ULT2001 was a great way to start the new millennium. It was the first Brother computerized sewing & embroidery machine with a color display.

The brand-new machine-integrated was created to make every stitching task easy. A large selection of Disney designs was already present in later iterations, the ULT-2002D and the PE-180D with designs, which were released. Users have options at their disposal to enhance their sewing experience.

As the 2000s progressed, Brother hit a milestone enabling it to manufacture its 50 millionth machine by 2014.

The 2008

In 2008, celebrating its 100 years, Brother ushered in the ultimate creative partner in sewing, embroidery, quilting, and crafting, the NV6000D known as The Quattro. The machine came with 100 new and improved features, including industry firsts such as InnovEye™ Technology, an Up Close™ Viewer function, and Runway™Lighting.

The 2018

In 2018, Brother released the Luminaire and its revolutionary Stitch Vision Technology. The innovative projection of light allows the user to preview stitches and embroidery designs directly onto the fabric.

The 2020

Because Brother believes that “at your side” is more than a marketing catchphrase, new products are designed to keep old loyalties intact and the drive is still apparent.

While other companies are content to use words like “synergy,” Brother creates products that revolutionize state-of-the-art home sewing, embroidery, quilting, and crafting machines.

Brother continues to reinvent and redesign their work. The past six decades have brought the company great rewards, making them one of the pioneers in the industry.

In conclusion, Brother has developed from its modest origins into the diverse worldwide organization it is today through a remarkable history spanning more than a century. While its business operations and technology have changed throughout time, a foundation of solid leadership and product innovation has remained constant. These characteristics are still crucial now, just as they were in 1908.