On the future of Hummel O.
Director Masanori Morikawa's conflict and sense of mission.

Morikawa: It was very fresh. It was the first time in my life as a designer that I had used an installation format and contemporary dance to express myself.

I had given a presentation in Paris before, but it was more of a straightforward expression. While abstract presentations like this one were interesting, I was concerned about the reaction of the audience.

Morikawa: Once [HUMMEL I wanted to clarify the current position of "HUMMEL O" once and for all. Shows are flashy, aren't they? It attracts people and is worth seeing. However, I thought it was wrong to let the showiness take precedence and not convey the core of the brand.

I chose this format because I wanted to make this collection the foundation for the future of HUMMEL O.

Morikawa: The theme was "Human Anatomy. The theme of the exhibition centered on "a study of the human anatomy and its application to design and installation.

Can you imagine the HUMMEL logo? The motif is based on an insect called the bumblebee flower, which was originally too heavy to fly, but after much effort it became able to fly. The motif was chosen from such an anecdote, and "Believe in the potential of the spirit" is the motto of "HUMMEL.

Morikawa: Spirituality...the so-called invisible part. It would be interesting to link such invisible things with sports. That's how I developed the idea. That led me to the sculptor Motohiko Kotani's "perception of the ghost. Invisible objects = ghosts.

Morikawa: That's right. On the one hand, I wondered how the customers felt about it... and on the other hand, I wondered if it was a success in a sense, because that confusion was also my goal. It is natural to find cute things cute! It is natural to feel "cute" when something is cute. But this time, I wanted to intentionally create a kind of "blank space to think about it. I hoped that people would feel free to do so. That is one of the interesting aspects of fashion.

Morikawa: I am honored if you feel that way. At first glance, many of the items in this collection have strange shapes.

Morikawa: That's right. I thought it would be interesting to hang it up if it were three-dimensional. If you look back at the history of Japan, you will see that many kimonos have flat patterns, but I wanted to make them three-dimensional, so I used piping to make the thin belly (the fabric used on the sides between the front and back body) and the stripes look like stripes.

Morikawa: In expressing the body, I felt that if unnecessary colors were added, the theme would become blurred. Therefore, I decided to use mainly monotone colors. Although we wanted to keep the colors bright for spring and summer, we stayed true to the theme and chose a color palette centered on clean grays.

Morikawa: We decided not to put too much on the front, and even if we did, we used embroidery in the same color as the fabric. If the bumblebee mark or chevron pattern (a series of V's) that is characteristic of "Hummel" is conspicuous, the eye will naturally be drawn to it, won't it? However, this is just "HUMMEL O". I wanted to express the fact that this is a different line. The chevron pattern expressed in mesh is exactly like that. I wanted to keep the "HUMMEL" style, but bring out something new.

Morikawa: Yes, I did. We also made items using fabrics from a Danish textile manufacturer called "kvadrat," which are used for curtains, sofas, etc. It may not be well known, but "Hummel" is actually a Danish brand. It may not be well known, but "Hummel" is actually a Danish brand. I thought it might be a good idea to make items with a Danish connection, so I did some research and came up with this fabric. It has a unique sheen and is very beautiful.