MOTIVATION｜Moving to Higashikagawa for Branding Local Gloves

In 2015, Eight One, a company involved in the branding of local products, was looking for someone to play a central role in the launch of a new Higashi-Kagawa glove brand in Kagawa Prefecture. When Mr. Matsushita heard about the project, she decided to change her job, saying, "I want to be involved in the opportunity to shed light on tomy hometown products" like Ehime Oranges and Imabari Towels.
　In the past, gloves from Higashikagawa were often sold as a product of the brand that commissioned them, and the name of the production area was never known to the consumers. Mrs. Matsushita, who became the brand manager, felt this was a problem and changed the brand concept from the originally planned "gloves for people with a high sense of beauty" to "gloves that make use of the characteristics of each manufacturer that have been cultivated in the production area," Based on the concept, she decided to convey consumers the quality of gloves produced in Higashikagawa and to improve its recognition.

ツナガリ｜前職の経験を生かした商品企画

エイトワンに転職前、松下さんは電機メーカーで商品企画を行っていた。この経験がtet.の手袋にも活きている。tet.では、流行や消費者ニーズに合わせるだけでなく、産地の各メーカーが培ってきた技術を活かした商品づくりを大切にしている。初年度の商品企画ではメーカーがこれまで作った手袋を参考に、各社の強みとなる技術として何を選びどう生かすのか、作り手と対話を重ねながら、より客観的な視点をもつデザイナーともアイデアを出し合った。tet.では、産地の技術や質の高さを伝えるために、細かな調整を重ねながらシンプルなデザインに落とし込んだ。その結果として、産地の技術が生かされた使いやすい商品が店頭に並んだ。

ECOSYSTEM｜​​Product planning that makes use of previous work experience

Before changing its job at Eight One, Mrs. Matsushita worked as a product planner at an electronics manufacturer. At tet., they place importance on creating products that not only meet trends and consumer needs, but also take advantage of the technologies and technical skills that have been cultivated by each manufacturer in the production area. In the first year of product planning, they referred to the gloves that the manufacturers had made in the past, and they had a series of dialogues with the manufacturers to determine what technologies each company had as its strengths and how to utilize them.

コツ｜謙虚さだけではなく、誠実さを大切に

松下さんは、メーカーとの連絡を出来るだけメールで済ませず、現地に赴くようにしているという。一緒にその場を共有することで、言葉にならないニュアンスも受け止めることができるからだ。「大切なことはどこでも同じだけど、地域の方が信用経済みたいなところは強い。ちゃんと関係を築くことは大事だと思います。」相手の話に耳を傾ける謙虚さと、言うべきことはその理由と合わせて本音で伝える誠実さ、その二つをもって向き合うことでより関係性を深めることができる。

TIPS｜Value honesty as well as humility.

Mrs. Matsushita says that she always tries to communicate with manufacturers by visiting the site instead of sending email, as much as she can. She says, "It’s not limited to the countryside, but trust is very important in the businesses in the countryside.I think it's important to build a good relationship. “ If we have the humility to listen to craftsmen and the sincerity to tell them what we have to say in a genuine way along with its reasons, then we can deepen our relationship with them.

コレカラ｜自分の足元から活動を広げる

自分の育った街が好きと、きっぱり言い切れる人はどのくらいいるのだろう。松下さんは進学で地元を離れた頃から、漠然といつか戻るつもりでいたという。東かがわの手袋を全国に届けて6年。今後は地元にtet.の手袋を販売するお店を作ったり、地域の子どもたちが地場産業について学ぶ教育の場にも関わりたいという。そんな松下さんがtet.を続ける理由の一つに、東かがわの人にもっと地元に対して誇りを持ってもらいたいという想いがある。これから何かをしたいけど、その「何か」に悩んでいる人は、まずは自分が暮らす街の産業を知ることが、その道のりの第一歩になるのかもしれない。

写真提供：tet.

FOR THE FUTURE｜Spread the activity on foot.

I wonder how many people can say with certainty that they love the town they grew up in. Mrs. Matsushita said that ever since she left her hometown for higher education, she have vaguely thought that someday she would return to her hometown. It's been six years since she started delivering gloves across the country from Higashikagawa. Her next goal is to build a store in her hometown for selling tet. gloves and to get involved in educational opportunities for teaching local children about the local industry. One of the reasons why Mrs. Matsushita continues to run tet. is that she wants the people of Higashikagawa to have more pride in their hometown. For those who want to do something in the future but are struggling to find that "something," learning about the industries of the city they live in may be the first step to find the way out.

Image courtesy of tet.