Manufacturing from the consumer's perspective
She studied textile design at a university in London, and after returning to Japan, she gained experience in planning and design work at apparel manufacturers, textile design offices, lifestyle goods brands, etc. She is now applying the sensibility and techniques she has developed in a variety of fields, including fashion, interior design, and miscellaneous goods, to towels, the "textile closest to everyday life."
While I had many opportunities to work on gift-giving and highly decorative products, I had a desire to create functional fabrics that were more in line with everyday life. Izawa Towel's manufacturing process thoroughly pursues "practicality from the consumer's perspective," from material selection to application design and sales channel proposals, and this resonated with me, so I decided to join the company.
My work can be broadly divided into two parts. The first is proposing plans to major retail clients. I work closely with sales staff to create proposal materials that take into account everything from materials, shapes, color schemes, and packaging. The second part is the commercialization process after the plan is adopted. From creating samples to communicating with factories, I am in charge of directing the process of turning design blueprints into actual "products." My current challenge is how to quickly materialize these plans while responding to diverse brand needs. I am constantly honing both my "design skills" and "execution skills."
The design group is diverse in both age and career, and each member utilizes their own area of expertise to get projects done. There are many cross-category projects, and we have a culture of sharing input from a wide range of perspectives, from sales floor research, weaving techniques, material development, and overseas market trends.
Creating "something" that is missing on the sales floor
The feeling of satisfaction when a design proposal perfectly matches the client's needs is exceptional. To do this, you need to physically feel the atmosphere of the sales floor where the products will be displayed, the consumer's gaze, and the worldview of each retailer. I try to visit the sales floor in person as much as possible and determine, "What is missing from this shelf right now?" Working backwards from there to create a proposal is what makes this job interesting.
Towels are a product that has a very deep structure as a textile, from the selection of yarn to the three-dimensional expression of pile and the texture of the finish. I was first exposed to this content with Izawa Towels, and learned design techniques unique to towels, such as how to create patterns, designing the feel, and balancing the visual and tactile aspects.
We work on products for major distribution brands that everyone knows. This allows us to feel the impact our designs have on the economy and distribution. We are currently working on a project with an eye toward global expansion, and we are taking on the challenge of taking the know-how we have cultivated for Japanese consumers and expanding it to the global market.
There is a friendly atmosphere where you can ask if you don't understand something and borrow someone's expertise.
I myself had no experience in towel design when I started, but the sharing of knowledge with other departments is very active, with the Technology Development Group providing information on materials and manufacturing methods, and the Sales Group sharing market data. I feel that the environment is conducive to learning.
Towels are textiles that are part of everyone's lives, from babies to the elderly.
That is why I want to challenge the future of this most familiar material: textiles.
We design functional and beautiful towels that quietly improve the quality of life, and deliver them to the world as a "global standard." With this future in mind, we carefully tackle each and every project every day.