COSMO® Brand History and Thread Lines
History of COSMO® Embroidery
The history of COSMO embroidery overlaps with Japan’s hundred years from rise through reconstruction.
1924 (Taisho 13): COSMO (COSMO embroidery thread) is born in Osaka
- In the late Taisho era, as Japan’s modernization advanced and Western culture (Western clothing and modern needlework) began to spread among the public, the COSMO® brand was launched by Cosmo Co., Ltd. of Osaka as a high-quality domestically produced embroidery thread.
- 1945 (Showa 20): In the year the war ended, Nomura Shoten (the predecessor of Nomura Shoten Co., Ltd.) acquired the manufacturing and sales rights for the COSMO® embroidery thread business.
- 1968 (Showa 43): Nomura Co., Ltd. also acquired the remaining trademark rights for COSMO® embroidery thread and embroidery fabric.
2010 (Heisei 22): Seasons
- Debuted as a new expressive No. 25 thread that can be used according to gradient pitch (the length over which the color changes).
April 2016 (Heisei 28): nishikiito
- Released as a metallic thread for hand embroidery drawing on Kyoto’s traditional kimono gold-thread techniques.
March 2019 (Heisei 31): hidamari
- Newly released in cone-wound style under the concept “Not just for stitching—sashiko thread.”
COSMO® has run through Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa, and during that time today’s LECIEN Corporation, which handled COSMO embroidery thread, has changed form like a “promotional fish” that transforms as it grows.
Changes in the Company Operating COSMO®
Cosmo Co., Ltd. (1924)
→ Tanaka Brothers Trading Company (1929) ※ as sales company
→ Nomura Shoten (1933) ※ as sales company
→ Nomura Shoten Co., Ltd. (1946) ※ as manufacturing and sales company
→ Nomura Co., Ltd. (1963) ※ securing all rights including trademarks and listing shares
(1964 listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange; 1980 transferred to the First Section)
→ LECIEN Corporation (1992)
→ LECIEN Corporation (newly established successor in 2015)
In the world, Cosmo Oil is also well known for the word Cosmo, but the brand name “Cosmo Oil” for service stations (gas stations) began in 1984, and an agreement on trademark use has been concluded between LECIEN Corporation and Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.
Categories of COSMO Embroidery Thread
① COSMO® No. 25 Embroidery Floss
- Colors: 500 in total
- Material: 100% cotton
- Solid colors
- Thickness: No. 25 count
② COSMO® No. 5 Embroidery Floss
- Colors: 65 in total
- Material: 100% cotton
- Lustrous thicker count
- Thickness: No. 5 count
③ COSMO® Silk Blend Metallic Thread
- Material: silk, polyester
- Thickness: No. 12 to No. 14 count
④ Seasons® No. 25 Embroidery Floss
- Colors: 140
- Subcategories: 3 types
- Material: 100% cotton
- Thickness: No. 25 count
- Categorized by light–dark variation, multicolor, and gradient
- Seasons 5000
- Seasons 8000
- Seasons 9000
⑤ nishikiito® No.77
- Colors: 48
- Subcategories: 5 types
- Material: nylon, polyester, cupro, and more
- Metallic thread for hand embroidery using gold-thread techniques once used in Kyoto kimono
- Nishiki (round twist): 18 colors total; approximate thickness: No. 5–6 count
- Kagami (tasuki twist): 18 colors total; approximate thickness: No. 5–6 count
- Tamamushi (tasuki twist): 12 colors total; approximate thickness: No. 11 count
- Happo-sui (tasuki twist): 6 colors total; approximate thickness: No. 10 count
- Hotaru (tasuki twist): 6 colors total; approximate thickness: No. 25 count
⑥ hidamari®
- Colors: 40
- 5 subcategories
- Material: 100% cotton
- Thickness: equivalent to about No. 6 count
- Solid (20 solid colors)
- Ten-gasuri 5 colors
- Speck (mottle / moku) 5 colors
- Gradient (5 colors)
- Multicolor (5 colors)
About Embroidery Thread Count (Thickness)
The numbers “No. 25” and “No. 5” for embroidery thread are based on a standard called “count (bante)” that indicates thread thickness. The craft notations “No. 25” and “No. 5” are not ISO standards (international standards) but industry custom and a historical de facto standard (a factual world standard).
For embroidery thread (cotton), “the larger the number, the finer the thread; the smaller the number, the thicker the thread.”
Specifications for No. 25 Embroidery Floss
No. 25 thread is the most popular thread for craft.
- Definition of the standard (cotton count): Six strands of cotton count “No. 25” yarn loosely twisted together into one bundle.
-
Thickness characteristics: A single strand alone is very fine, but it is usually used by separating (pulling out) “1 strand,” “2 strands,” and so on from this six-strand bundle according to the purpose (how coarse the fabric weave is).
- 2 strands: Ideal for general cross-stitch and delicate French embroidery
- All 6 strands (6-strand use): When you want a thick line or a sense of dimension
Specifications for No. 5 Embroidery Floss
No. 5 thread is a thick thread used as is without separating the bundle.
- Definition of the standard (cotton count): Two strands of cotton count “No. 5” yarn twisted together.
- Thickness characteristics: A further size thicker than No. 25 used with all 6 strands (as a bundle), forming a firm cord-like thread. Because the twist is strong, luster is strong and stitches rise clearly and dimensionally.
Smaller Numbers Are Thicker
The “cotton count” underlying embroidery thread is a constant-weight system calculated by “how much length there is for a fixed weight (1 pound ≈ 453.6 g).”
- For No. 5 count: length of 840 × 5 = 4,200 yards per pound (shorter = thicker)
- For No. 25 count: length of 840 × 25 = 21,000 yards per pound (longer = finer)
No. 25 count, which packs “five times the length” into the same weight, is finer per strand.
Comparison of Thickness and Structure
| Product name | Base cotton count | Number of twisted strands | How to use | Main uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 embroidery floss | No. 25 (fine) | 6 strands loosely twisted | Separate into 1–6 strands | Cross-stitch, French embroidery in general |
| No. 5 embroidery floss | No. 5 (thick) | 2 strands firmly twisted | Use as is without separating | Embroidery, crochet, tassels |
Summary of COSMO Count Categories
Expressed in the embroidery threads COSMO offers:
- COSMO No. 25
- Seasons No. 25
- COSMO No. 5
These are the 100% cotton count categories. Because nishikiito’s material is not cotton, there is no No. 25 or No. 5 notation, but approximate thickness is shown in the No. 5–25 range. hidamari is 100% cotton and about No. 6 count equivalent in thickness.
