episode_0051

Polyester, polyurethane, and nylon.

The commonality of these materials, whose names we’ve all heard at least once, is that they can be used as fibers and are extracted from petroleum.

The emergence of these materials brought about tremendous changes in the world of clothing and were the main players in creating clothes that can be worn without strings, buttons, or belts.

Go to your closet right now and see how many clothes you can find without even 1% of synthetic fiber.

“Again, tell me one more time.”

It was such an unbelievable sound that I swallowed hard and asked the question to Princess Fani.

“I’m planning to design new clothes using elastomers.”

“Wow…”

Even after hearing it again, it’s hard to believe.

Even a 95% pure liberal arts student, whose highest level of scientific knowledge is taking a general education course on new materials in everyday life to fulfill graduation requirements, could tell that this doesn’t make sense.

Because making stretchy fiber is quite difficult, incredibly difficult.

In my past life, artificial silk, called rayon, was first synthesized from wood around the time X-ray photography technology appeared, and nylon was synthesized from petroleum about 30 years after the Wright brothers made their first flight.

But suddenly, new materials like nylon or polyurethane are appearing in a world where commercial trains are only just being popularized?

This is too much of an easy win.

Wait, the Princess only said she found a new material.

Could it be that she found a new type of rubber tree?

“How did you find it?”

“Recently, witches in the southeastern region have reportedly developed a method of creating new substances by mixing random materials and receiving help from spirits and mana.”

“And?”

“A witch who was playing with black oil drawn from the ground using that technique apparently discovered that various substances come out of that oil even without mixing anything in particular.”

“……”

I was speechless.

It really is a petrochemical product.

The method was so trivial that I was dumbfounded.

“… What’s the principle?”

“The witches don’t really know why either, they just said it came out when they did it.”

“Tsk… No, haa…”

I feel somewhat empty.

On Earth, you have to put in so much effort in huge factories to make it, but here you can make it with just a spirit and mana click?

It’s a coincidence that makes me want to summon an Earth writer… no, this is a different place, so a writer from an unnamed planet.

“There are so many things I want to ask, but putting everything else aside, can it be produced stably?”

“That’s the problem.”

“Is it?”

I suddenly felt relieved at the news that there was a problem with production.

Looking at Princess Fani with a slightly brighter expression, the Princess continued, with a puzzled look on her face.

“They don’t know what material comes out under what conditions, so they fill very large drums with black oil and separate whatever comes out, so the supply is unstable and the price is high.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s about 5 gold for 453.5g.”

“What?”

I frowned at the terrible sound that reached my ears.

I expected the price to be high, but the weight was strange.

Not 100g or 1kg, or even 400g or 450g, but 453.5g with decimals, not even a clean number in the tens place?

“What’s with that awful unit of measurement?”

“The witches only insist on using yards and pounds because of tradition…”

“Ugh…”

I grimaced and squeezed my eyes shut.

I wondered why witches weren’t easily seen in society, unlike wizards.

It was because of this terrible reason.

A very correct phenomenon.

Those terrible people shouldn’t become commonplace.

I opened my eyes, offering deep gratitude to the 12th Emperor, King Hyeonmyeong, who inscribed the yard-pound system as an unofficial unit system in the legal code.

And, with my interest piqued by the new material, I took a closer look at the picture I hadn’t checked before.

The drawing on the paper was still simple, with only silhouettes drawn, but next to it were written what characteristics and concepts had been captured.

The concept of this garment, tentatively named ‘Soft Corset,’ is largely threefold.

The first is to eliminate any boning to reduce interference with movement and increase comfort.

The second is to fasten the garment with buttons and hooks.

Finally, the silhouette draws a gentler curve than existing corsets, and instead of strongly constricting only the waist, it presses down overall to create a soft line.

I felt like I had seen it somewhere before, and Princess Fani had brought something that was exactly the same as a girdle from my past life.

Girdles are slightly different in that they are longer and completely cover the buttocks, but other than that, the features overlapped perfectly.

Girdles, or body shapers, are corrective underwear that replaces corsets by holding the lines of the abdomen and buttocks.

The original meaning of the name was a belt without buckles to hold clothes or objects in place, but in the late 19th century, underwear to replace corsets inherited the name, adding the meaning of corrective underwear that covers the buttocks and waist, made of elastic material and fastened with hooks.

As befits its role as corrective underwear, it still feels uncomfortable due to compressing the body, but it is much more comfortable than pressing the body with a metal frame, so it was a commonly used underwear by women until the early and mid-20th century.

Of course, it was reduced to special underwear due to the advent of pantyhose, but it does not change the fact that girdles competed equally with corsets for decades and gained an advantageous position.

“Hmm…”

I immediately ran the calculator in my head.

A short-sleeved T-shirt weighs about 200g, so 400g would be more than enough to make a girdle the size of a corset.

Moreover, since it’s not like making a latex suit, the ratio will be even lower if mixed with cotton or silk, and if you think of it as replacing whalebone or steel…

It’s not burdensome in terms of price either.

You might even be able to extract it more cheaply.

“Is that material produced in the form of thread?”

“Yes, to be exact, it is produced as a liquid, quickly put into a container, and then squeezed out with something that looks like a syringe, then it hardens into a thin thread.”

If it comes out in the form of thread, it has higher versatility compared to whalebone.

It can be blended, used alone, and, although it is unlikely, it can also be used for knitting… It’s the best.

“Good.”

I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled contentedly.

And I tapped the drawing, which still only had silhouettes and important points written on it, with my finger and said.

“I would like you to bring me a concrete design and plan with this concept as it is, would that be possible?”

“What parts would you like me to delve into in detail?”

“What kind of yarn to blend, the location of the seams, and how to decorate it, things like that.”

“Hmm…”

Princess Fani groaned and showed signs of hesitation.

“I don’t know if I can do the design well… I’m still learning, so I’m worried I’ll ruin it.”

“Try it with the feeling of practicing, I’ll fix it if it seems strange.”

“I understand.”

After hearing Princess Fani’s answer, I turned my head and looked at Prince Herbert, who was frustrated in the corner.

“Herbert.”

“Yes…”

“Cheer up a bit now, and help Fani design new underwear from now on.”

“Yes? Will I be of help?”

“I don’t expect you to be of help, but since you’re doing it anyway, I’m telling you to study design together.”

“I understand…”

I gave the Prince a job to do as well, and finally looked at Princess Elizabeth.

I don’t expect anything, but just in case she has thought of anything.

Then, the Princess glanced at me, raised her chin slightly, and raised one corner of her mouth, shamelessly answering.

“I didn’t prepare anything, there’s nothing to come out even if you look at me like that.”

“Ah, yes…”

It was exactly as I expected.

_

“Hmm…”

After Prince Herbert and Princess Fani’s presentations were over, everyone left, and I was left alone in the empty store, looking at the ceiling and organizing my thoughts.

This is because the news about the new material that Princess Fani told me opened up new possibilities for the clothes I will make in the future.

The shortage of elastic materials, which was a major obstacle in making clothes, has been resolved, so now I can make swimsuits, leggings, or anything else as long as I gradually change social perceptions.

No, I don’t need anything else, I was so happy that I could make band stockings that can be worn without pantyhose and garter belts.

It was only a few months ago that I twisted my whole body with silk to try to imitate this, but now I can make it myself without having to do that.

I can confidently say that the moment I implement nylon stockings and put them on the market, the clothing culture will be greatly shaken.

Garter belts will no longer be essential, and if released together with girdles, the displacement of corsets will be accelerated.

I was so happy that I wanted to give Princess Fani incentives right away, but I barely managed to hold back.

No matter how happy I am, giving out incentives in just 5 days looks strange.

I’m holding back because it’s only the 5th day since I opened the store, but if it were a store I had been running for several years, I would have put it in her pocket in a lump sum on the spot.

“Young master, it’s time for you to go back now.”

While I was tapping the desk and wearing a pleasant smile, Emily approached and urged me to leave the store where I was stuck.

I glanced out the window, and the sky was dyed purple beyond red.

If I waste any more time, I’ll miss dinner.

“Okay, let’s go back.”

I got up from my seat.