ARTISAN & ARTIST * (hereinafter referred to as A & A) has been set up, and in addition to gaining a high reputation by design and development of many bags and pouches, many professional photographers and photographers are expanded to camera accessories. Seishiro Hanjiku who has gained a pear. He talked about the policy of manufacturing and future dreams. (Listening: Tomohiro Noh)
Shooting: Kobayashi
I want to continue pursuing functional beauty as a business design
Nomo (hereinafter referred to as N): How did you decide to become a designer?
Semi -pile (hereinafter, half): I entered Kuwasawa Design Research Institute longing for the automatic design, but after hearing from a senior designer that I only designed the instrument panel, I designed it. I learned that the division of labor is progressing. So, I wanted to do a design that can be completed with one grace, so I started designing women's shoes in Ginza. While handling ⾰, I started to hang bags as a natural flow.
N: After that, Ultizan & Artist (hereafter: A & A) was set up. It is expanded to make -up tools.
Half: At that time, the makeup storage was all gorgeous, so I wanted to make a more functional one.
N: How was the reputation at that time?
Half: At first it didn't sell at all, the price was high. However, when I wholesaled Barneys and Raidy Susan with O e M, it sold surprisingly.
I stayed at the professional makeup artist, and from there, CA, announcer, and ⽔ business, and those who had strong makeup bought it.
Above all, the porch introduced in the Shaku magazine 25ans (Vancan Kang) sold surprisingly.
Barneys New York pouch (around 1992)
N: It's great that you got a professional evaluation. And sales channels will also expand.
Half: At that time, I opened more than 30 department stores. Both are exhibited alongside high brands overseas on the place of the floor. In Ginza Matsuya, there was a higher tsubo efficiency than Chanel.
A & A showroom (Ikejiri Bridge) at the time of many fashion artists visited
N: Based on that success, it will be expanded to camera accessories.
Half: At that time, the Leica user's camera bag was Billingham (Billingham) or DOMKE. DOMKE is a functionally excellent bag, but I think there will be more room for the design ⾯. I wanted to make a bag with both easy -to -use and coolness.
N: It's a natural flow for a camera lover and a photo lover. And the campus bag A CAM series hits a big hit.
Half: The back concept was to "make Leikaoji cool" (laughs). Camera bags and cosmetic goods are actually in common. The cosmetics are in a large glass bottle, and it is the same as the camera and lens. It has to be protected well, and there are many ⼩ things, so it is necessary to make it easier to find in a bag. The handling is similar to the accessories of the camera.
N: The experience of making cosmetic goods was a product that was well combined with the needs of cameras and photography lovers. The symbolic product was the "ICAM Series" that won the 2012 Design Award. I still love it.
Half: That's nice. It may be a complete form for making my camera bag.
CAM Series (2012 Good Design Award)
From hobbies to professionals on the camera & photograph path
N: When have you loved the camera and lovers of the photos?
Half: ⼩ From the lower grades of school, I used a 110 camera called Kodak Tele-Ektra2 that my parents bought, taking pictures of my family and school excursions.
N: It's insanely fast considering the times!
Half: In the Kuwasawa Design era, I was shooting with Minolta X-700, but when I was designing cosmetic goods, I met Leicam6 and Summilux and got hooked on photos.
N: Was it a lot of shopping?
Half: The main business was good and it was originally stiff. I was hooked on the camera swamp to Alpa and Exactor. I bought a camera for more than a lot.
Actually, I wanted to make a camera bag, but I felt a little feeling that I could make up for what I sprinkled with a camera in the camera work (laughs).
N: What are you using mainly now?
Half: Ricoh GRⅢ is the main, and the rest is wealthy film X-T3, X-S10. And sometimes Leica M6.
N: The "Signboard Musume Series" taken by Hanjun was also a series of Japanese cameras.
Half: I like to take a picture, and when I'm walking around the city or doing something, I will call me when I find a wonderful person.
N: Who is your favorite photographer?
Half: Herbie ⼭⼝ ⼭⼝ in Japan. She is always a photographer who wants to take pictures that make me happy, are longing and targeted.
N: I understand very well. The warmth is transmitted from the photos of the semi -pile.
A: I'm glad if you can get it.
N: After A & A's retirement, photography activity will be in full swing. He studied under the photographer, Shin -Uchi, and became a member of the APA (Japan Advertising Photographer Association). The place that does not end with a hobby seems to be a half -pile.
Half: I have a little time away from management, so I want to take pictures again. It was a good time, but now I think that I was lucky to be immersed.
From the signboard girl series that was serialized with a camera
Design theory, and the suffering of management
N: Please tell me about the design of Hanjun.
Half: Being functional and do not decorate extra decorations. And we try something unprecedented. I think it is the essence of the business design.
N: Are there any brands to refer to in design?
Half: For example, a global maker brand SNAP-on. The functionality of that toolbox was also helpful in the makeup box.
A & A Soft Make Box: Reduced the outside into a soft material and lighter (almost half).
The material is a material with almost the same configuration as the Hunting World Batch Cross.
PVC (PVC) and PU (polyurethane) are coated on the nylon base.
Consider the shock resistance by sandwiching the compressed urethane between the lining. Get praise from professionals.
N: Minimal designs are now common, but at that time, there was a tendency to decorate design.
Half: At that time, if a young man drew a bag design sketch, he would get extra. The functional and simple design is not mediocre when painting, so you want to do something. However, I thought that any modeling should be meaningful, so I did a lot, "Why did you put a line here?"
N: I heard that the A & A era was a company with more than 100 employees, but the design was only half -pile and one.
Half: After all, I understand my thoughts the most. I was so busy.
N: I was surprised when I suddenly retired from A & A in 2013. I thought it would have been a lot to leave the company, which had been raised for 22 years since the foundation in 1991.
Half: I was betrayed by my trusted seniors, and I was tired of managing the company, because I was only taken time for the wealth and inventory management.
N: It was a tough time. But the half -pile doesn't end there. In 2016, Hangui Project Co., Ltd. will be established.