History of CLARINO™
CLARINO™ is an artificial leather that Kuraray successfully commercialized in 1964—the first of its kind in the world. Sales began in Japan in 1965. Since then, driven by the researchers’ spirit of ‘let’s start with the most difficult challenge,’ CLARINO™ has evolved through repeated trials and challenges into a high-performance material that combines light weight, water resistance, strength and durability, smooth texture, and a rich variety of colors.
The name CLARINO™ was given by the then-president Soichiro Ohara. It originates from an old type of trumpet, reflecting the desire to give the product not only novelty but also a sense of classical value. The name was chosen with the expectation that CLARINO™ would play a bold fanfare within the Kuraray ‘orchestra,’ like a trumpet sounding triumphantly.
CLARINO™ Timeline
| 1965 | Began sales of artificial leather CLARINO™. |
| 1966 | Completed mass-production plant for CLARINO™ at Okayama Factory. |
| 1970 | Started production of CLARINO™ artificial leather for school bags (randoseru). |
| 1973 | Received the 21st Chemical Technology Award from the Chemical Society of Japan for achievements in establishing artificial leather manufacturing technology. |
| 1975 | Started production of suede-type artificial leather CLARINO™. |
| 1983 | Started production of nubuck-type artificial leather AMARETTA™. |
| 1988 | Held a comprehensive exhibition of artificial leather materials for apparel. |
| 1995 | Celebrated the 30th anniversary of sales with a commemorative exhibition. Established Kuraray Hong Kong Ltd. to strengthen production and sales bases in Asia. |
| 2003 | Held the first Percassio Beautiful Legs Award. |
| 2004 | Launched the campaign “Randoseru Crosses the Sea”. Established a joint venture in China, Hexin Kuraray Superfine Leather (Jiaxing) Co., Ltd. |
| 2005 | Celebrated the 40th anniversary of CLARINO™ sales. |
| 2008 | Established the Tetsuya Utsumi Randoseru Fund. |
| 2009 | Announced “Green CLARINO™ Begins” for eco-friendly artificial leather. Launched TIRRENINA™. Established the CLARINO™ Ahhi-kun Randoseru Fund. Received awards from the Textile Society (Technology Award), Kinki Chemical Society (Chemical Technology Award), and Japan Association for Chemical Innovation (GSC Award) for developing a solvent-free artificial leather manufacturing method. |
| 2015 | Exhibited at the Italian leather fair “Lineapelle” for the first time in eight years; celebrated the 50th anniversary of sales. |