[KAI Co., Ltd.] Talk event held by United Arrows Hirofumi Kurino, fashion designer Yuima Nakazato, and Hat & Head-piece designer Nobuki Hizume
Kai Brand Co., Ltd. Press release: November 11, 2024 Talk event held by United Arrows Hirofumi Kurino, fashion designer Yuima Nakazato, and Hat & Head-piece designer Nobuki Hizume Each person talks about “manufacturing” and “tools” KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition 2024, a global cutlery manufacturer, will hold the “KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition 2024” at the Shibuya Sakura Stage on Friday, November 8th. The Grand Prize Award Ceremony was held. At the event, we welcomed Hirofumi Kurino of United Arrows Co., Ltd. and fashion designer Yuima Nakazato as guests, as well as Hat & Head-piece designer Nobuki Hizume, who also served as a judge for the KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition. We held a talk show. Image
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world.That’s what fashion is all about. I thought that all of the works in this contest were creative and free-thinking, which was really wonderful.” Nakazato says, “Functionality, such as how warm it is and how easy it is to move around, is very important in modern fashion, but on the other hand, decorations tend to be seen as unnecessary, and people choose comfort over the culture of dressing up.” I think that is modern. However, when I saw the tribes I met on my travels in Africa who were wearing beads, and how they valued decorative elements even in the hot and harsh environment, I realized that modern times are a huge waste. “I felt that things were being excluded.” Nakazato also said, “When I was a student, I took a class with hat designer Stephen Jones, and when I twisted an A4 sheet of paper and put it on my head, my posture suddenly became more beautiful, and I realized that it was just an A4 sheet of paper. “I was impressed by how a blank sheet of paper could change. I was keenly aware that the act of placing something on someone’s head has a huge meaning.” About hat culture/haute couture / About sewing scissors “O”
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-a1098add1f0cd8be696f65dd72c2f655-3000×2000.jpg Next, Mr. Kurino asked Mr. Hizume, “I think that the culture of hats is deeply rooted in France, but is there anything that you feel about your skin every day?” Mr. Hizume answered, “Honestly, in modern times, hats are something that you feel in your personal life. I don’t get a glimpse of that kind of culture, but when I go to places that have a dress code, I realize that hats are essential.Japanese people don’t have the habit of wearing hats, so in that sense, it was new to me at first. ” he commented. He also said, “There are multiple expressions related to hats in French, so hats are treated as something of high status in the country.” When we asked Mr. Nakazato, the only Japanese person who continues to present his collections at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, what kind of customers he deals with in France, he answered, “We have very special customers. Most of them have jobs where they are in front of people, so they often order them when they want to show off their individuality or if they want to show off their individuality because if they use a ready-made item, it will inevitably overlap with someone else’s. When it comes to mass production, I think the standard of design becomes how many people can receive the same design, but with a one-of-a-kind item, there is meaning in the fact that there is only one in the world. Most of the time I think about it while feeling the impression and atmosphere during the dialogue. Although it’s the complete opposite of what we’re used to today, I think it’s a type of manufacturing that can only be done by hand or with craftsmanship, so I’d like to continue doing so. ” he said. After hearing this story, Mr. Kurino said that Japan is one of the few countries that can make clothes, hats, and shoes
domestically, and that France, despite being a fashion city, is made in Japan. We also spoke to Mr. Hizume, who is active in a country where France is scarce. Mr. Hizume said, “In times like this, I wanted to make one-of-a-kind things.If I could find someone who is like my partner, that would be the best for me.” I think humans are creatures that want things even if they are expensive. We create products after having thorough conversations with our customers so that they can meet each other.Many people give up on hats because they don’t particularly suit them, but that’s definitely not the case; anyone can find a hat that suits their face well. I value
conversations in order to find that.”
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-077ba32033533d3d2655b57c880b4511-2399×1599.jpg We also asked about the details behind the joint development of the sewing scissors “O” by Kai and Hizume. Mr. Hizume said, “I first met a French craftsman who uses Kai Seal sewing scissors for Kai Serushi.I met him for the first time through a project to meet a French craftsman who uses Kai Seal Sewing Scissors.At that time, I talked to him about the Kai Seal Sewing Scissors that I had been using, and I found out that the maker… We started this project to work together to create scissors that would solve our problems.” Mr. Hizume spoke in detail about the “O” he is particular about. “First of all, if the handle is a regular round one, you will use a lot of wasted force when opening and closing it, so if you use it every day or every week, your hands will get calluses, and if that happens, it won’t become your second hand and it will be difficult to use. , I was conscious of the handle being like a second hand.And the blade. Inspired by
“hairdressing scissors,” I created this original product and spent a lot of time researching how it could be used as sewing scissors without deteriorating.Since the center of gravity is important for tools (scissors), We confirmed and pursued the appropriate center of gravity for each type of scissors. ” he said. Mr. Nakazato, who regularly uses Kai Sewing Scissors, was surprised at how easy it was to cut the “O” and commented that he wanted them to be released soon. The event was so exciting that we couldn’t talk about it all in the allotted time, and the participants listened intently to the stories of those working on the front lines. Sharpness and Gentleness Exhibition Exhibition Overview
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-20c684c1809455e3a9448d989eabfd87-733×526.jpg The hat works that won the Excellence Award at the “KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition 2024” are also on display for the general public. Exhibition overview Exhibition period: November 9, 2024 (Saturday) to November 14, 2024 (Thursday) All dates 11:00-21:00 *Until 17:00 on the last day, the 14th only Venue: Shibuya Sakura Stage SHIBUYA SIDE 4F 404 Not Found (Shibuya Sakura Stage SHIBUYA SIDE 4F, 1-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) Speaker profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-954cce13a4df4bbdd66b23d2a90b2ded-821×615.jpg Mr. Nobuki Hizume After graduating at the top of his class from Bunka Fashion College’s Apparel Design Department in 2004, he moved to Italy. Presenting a collection as an underwear designer for an Italian manufacturer. After returning to Japan, he created hats and headpieces for stages and musicians both domestically and internationally, and at the same time developed “NOBUKI HIZUME” as an artist. He moved his base to France in 2009 and has been working on hats for many Grand Maison’s Paris collections. In 2019, he was recognized as the French National Best Craftsman. *The French National Best Craftsman Medal (Meilleur Ouvrier de France: M.O.F.) is a title awarded to craftsmen with advanced skills who are worthy of inheritors of French culture, and is recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan (commonly known as a Living National Treasure). It is said to correspond to a system. In the same year, he started the hat brand “HIZUME”. In the FW22 and FW23 LOEWE collections, he is also taking on the challenge of making clothes using traditional hat-making techniques.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-68e3377863176fd634e7fdb0c5f62640-1733×2600.jpg Mr. Hirofumi Kurino Born in 1953. After studying aesthetics at university, she joined a fashion retail industry. After working for Suzuya and Beams, he joined the founding of United Arrows as a managing director in 1989. In 2008, he resigned from executive positions such as CCO and became a senior advisor. He serves as a graduation judge and mentor for fashion schools in Japan and around the world, including the Royal Academy of Antwerp, the Royal Academy (RCA), Polimoda Florence, Kokono Gakkou, and the LVMH Prize. Published “The World After Mode” in 2020 at Fusosha.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25105/599/25105-599-796bb7810af76961b793f2f825f7ee7c-1681×2522.jpg Yuima Nakazato Born in Tokyo in 1985. She grew up with artist parents, and after graduating from high school entered the fashion department of the Royal College of Art in Antwerp, Belgium. During his studies, he received guidance from Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Linda Roppa. Graduated from the same school’s master’s program in 2008. His graduation work received the Innovation Award from Anne Demeulemeester, one of the members of the Antwerp Six, as well as numerous other awards. From 2016 to the present, he is the only Japanese artist to continue presenting his collection at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Recently, a solo retrospective exhibition BEYOND COUTURE was held at the Calais Lace Fashion Museum in France. This is the fourth time a retrospective exhibition of a Japanese fashion designer will be held at a public museum in France, following Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Hanae Mori. He also designs costumes for performing arts such as opera and ballet performed by the Boston Ballet in the United States and the National Theater of Geneva in Switzerland. Kaiin Co., Ltd. Founded in 1908 in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, a town famous for cutlery. Currently, we are developing over 10,000 products, including razors, mainly cutlery tools that are closely related to daily life, men’s grooming, personal grooming and beauty care such as nail clippers, cooking/confectionery such as kitchen knives, medical use, etc., and product planning. A global cutlery manufacturer that handles everything from development to production, sales, and logistics. Head Office: 3-9-5 Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hiroaki Endo, Representative Director, President and COO https://www.kai-group.com Contact information for readers regarding this matter Kaiin Co., Ltd. Customer Service Office 3-9-5 Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8586 TEL: 0120-016-410 (free access/Hikari Wide) https://www.kai-group.com
