Yes, Toyota. The company best known for its cars started out as an automated loom works for textile production. In 1929, the founder, Kiichiro Toyoda was tasked with investigating automobile production. The Japanese government encouraged this idea and Toyota was manufacturing its first automobile in 1936.

After the war in 1946, the first Toyota sewing machine was constructed under the strict supervision of Kiichiro Toyoda himself. He viewed the sewing machine as necessary to the success of the company because “people will always need clothes”. To Toyota, style was important. His thought is that if every home should have a sewing machine, the machine should also look good in the home!

The first model was the HA-1:

If you ask me, this machine looks a lot like the Singer machine of the day.

Since then Toyota has been making functional yet beautiful machine designs that millions have used to make beautiful garments and quilts. Their machines today are known for their strong motors and the ability to sew through multiple layers of jean fabric with little problem.

Something amazing that you might not know

Back in 1989, Toyota executives decided to pay tribute to this portion of their company by changing their corporate ID to include their history in textiles and sewing. This is what the Toyota logo looks like today:

Look closely and you will see in the logo, a thread going through the eye of a needle.

Although the Toyota Group is best known today for its cars, it is still in the textile business and still makes automatic, computerized looms, and electric sewing machines which are available worldwide.

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