An item that paints the blanks (blanks) of the world black (black).

This is a new brand that just started this year, but could you start with the concept?

large valleyBags are one of the most indispensable and familiar tools in our daily lives, not only as a fashion item, but also as a travel companion, business gear, and professional work tools. Blank's mission is to create an iconic product that can be called the "prototype of the bag" by stripping away excess elements and condensing only the good parts that are necessary in order to pursue the bag's original appeal and existence value as such a tool. The mission of Blank is to create iconic products that can be considered the "prototype of bags".

The brand name is a coined word that combines "BLANK," which means a blank, and "BLACK." In a world saturated with so many things, there are still blanks that are lacking and that no one has entered yet. Our goal is to create products that fill in the blanks by painting them black.

Mr. Otani, you have worked as an "apparel maker" for clothing up until now. Although you are closely related in terms of fashion items, don't bags require specialized knowledge and know-how in bag-making?

large valley. In my past brands, I also worked on bags, but my main focus was on clothes and some of the accessories that surrounded them. However, the main focus was on clothes, and the bags were part of the accessories that surrounded the clothes. However, Blank's parent company is a bag manufacturer with a history of more than 120 years, which is the exclusive Japanese distributor for California-based brands such as Dispatch and Datum, as well as a popular original brand. Blank" is characterized by a fusion of the experience and sensibility of the apparel world and the skills of a mature bag professional, both of which have been cultivated in different fields.

Aside from the top foreign maisons that originally originated from bags and leather goods, Blank is a rare bag brand that also offers a lineup of clothing. Is this largely due to the fact that you yourself are an apparel designer?

large valley. Yes, that's right. Blank" mainly uses fabrics from clothes, which are not usually used for bags. The reason is that we do not consider bags as bags, but rather we design them as if they were clothes. . That is why the apparel we offer is also tailored with the same symbiotic fabrics as the bags.

If I had to categorize it, it might fall under the category of a bag brand, but whether it is considered a bag brand or an apparel brand, I would like to leave it up to each store and customer to decide. For me personally, I don't care either way, and in fact, I don't think I am either way. This is because I place more emphasis on "what materials to use" than "what to make" in my creations.

Making products that make the most of the inherent charm of objects and materials.

The first thing is the material, which is then transformed into bags and apparel, isn't it? What is the reason why you are most particular about materials?

large valley. If you look around the world, you will find that most of the designs are based on what is called "classic" or "standard" with some kind of functionality or decoration added to it. This leads us to the concept of the brand I mentioned earlier. At Blank, we try to avoid excessive functionality and decoration as much as possible. In contrast to the "positive design" that abounds in the world, "Blank" tries to create "negative design," which is a void in the world.

. However, simplicity alone will result in a tasteless, odorless, and boring product. In this sense, we have kept the design minimal, and have focused on the basic concept of using materials to attract people's attention, and we are very conscious of the selection of even the smallest parts of the product. Just as delicious food can be prepared with minimal cooking and seasoning if the ingredients are good, high quality materials are absolutely essential in order to serve the food in a state close to its original state and have people enjoy its true flavor.

This way of dealing with materials may have its roots in the days of "Nine Bar Nine," where I used to work. The designer at that time, Takahiro Miyashita (now TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist.) He made almost all of his own fabrics and reworked samples over and over again until he was satisfied with the results. He is also extremely sensitive to fit, noticing and correcting even the slightest difference of a few millimeters. I have seen this kind of work up close and personal, and it has had a great influence on my work. . That is why at Blank, we pay close attention to the size of the bags and the fit of the clothes.

Are there any materials that are representative of your brand?

large valley. My first experience with fashion was in vintage clothing. My original experience in fashion was in vintage clothing, and I was particularly fascinated with vintage jeans. Denim has been my favorite material ever since. The longer I wear denim, the more I get used to it, and the more the color fades and the more damage is done to it, the richer and richer its expression grows.

For the spring/summer season, which was the debut collection, we used rigid denim, which is dyed in a way that the color does not fade easily. In the market these days, while processed denim with a soft, faded texture is popular, rigid denim tends not to sell well. Therefore, there are few items in the world that use rigid denim, so we dared to try to fill this void, and at the same time, to allow people to enjoy the original expression of denim for many years to come. We also wanted to create a clean, elegant, and more minimalist look.

large valley. In addition, this season we have also introduced a collection in corduroy, in a design shared with our denim bags and apparel. . This is another great fabric that we are very proud of and like very much.

Starting with these series, we insist on using materials made in Japan. The Japanese-made denim has a distinctly better look, such as the twill grain of the denim and the degree of undulation of the corduroy, and it is softer and less prone to sagging. While emphasizing these qualities, we keep prices as low as possible so that as many people as possible can afford to buy our products.

Looking at the lineup, there are bags that can be used on weekends as well as for business casual wear. In addition to G-jans and five-pocket pants, you also offer tailored jackets and slacks-type trousers that can be worn as a set-up, as well as slightly dressier models such as button-down shirts.

large valley.: I wanted to offer not only casual designs, but also elegant items with a mature look, in order to match the bags. The denim set-up in particular is a blank item that is rarely seen on the street, and the reason is that I genuinely wanted to wear it myself. I want to be flexible, standing in a middle position between holiday wear and business wear, and I would be happy if each user could enjoy "Blank" in their own way, depending on how they perceive it.