Why BAYCREW'S is doing festivals locally in the region.

Connecting with local staff to enhance the festival.

The charm of this event is that local store staff members serve as the organizing committee members, and even the booths and contents are created based on their ideas.

For this interview, we spoke with three people who were in different positions in the process of organizing the festival: Mr. Kobayashi, a member of the press; Mr. Kaneko, a conceptor at L'ECHOPPE, one of the booths; and Mr. Mizuno, a Kyoto festival organizing committee member.

Interview01_PRESS STAFFA new project led by local staff.

Miki Kobayashi / Press

Press Manager of Ludome, which holds the core brands of Bay Cruise such as "Jena" and "Edifice".
He is also involved in the management of this BAYCREW'S Festival as a press representative.

The holding of festivals in all four cities, the first in BAYCREW'S history, is part of a project based on local revitalization, according to Ms. Kobayashi, a member of the press.

We were also celebrating the company's 40th anniversary, and we were discussing the idea of doing something that would help revitalize the local area. As we listened to the opinions of store staff in each area, some said, 'I want to do something hands-on with our customers! and we came up with the idea of this festival. The closer we could get to our customers, the more we could express ourselves.

The Kyoto staff played a central role in this festival, from planning to booth attendance on the day of the event.

I think it is difficult for local staff to develop a career vision because they are less likely to be transferred than staff in Tokyo or Osaka. That's why I want them to receive new stimulation through this festival. I hope this festival will be an opportunity to motivate them. Everyone was very particular about what they wanted to do, and a lot of things were on the edge (laughs). (Laughs.) I would like to continue the festival so that people will say, "Kyoto in October is known for Bay Cruise Festival.

Interview02_BRAND CONCEPTERA chance to think about "regenerated" fashion.

Keiji Kaneko / L'ECHOPPE Conceptor

He is the man behind "Reshop," a well-known select store in Huinam.
For this festival, the company opened a stall together with "Edifice. The theme of the event was rebirth, and the items were all available.

We interpreted the theme of the Kyoto festival, "fashion," in our own way and gathered items under the keyword of "rebirth. We thought that while it is necessary to create new things, it is even more necessary to make use of what we already have. Mr. Kaneko of "Reshop" was at the booth with his own concept in mind. It is surprising that the decision to open a booth was made only two weeks ago.

He thought it would be a difficult task, but when he finally became aware of the keywords, he found many "rebirths" in them.

I got a denim pouch as a gift from Seven by Seven, which was reconstructed from denim scraps! I ordered one on the spot for a festival, and when I went to a vintage clothing store, I found pants dyed and processed in the store!

I am aware of the tremendous response I received just by advertising on my personal account, and once I started paying attention to it, I found that there were many "rebirth" things in my daily life. I was also surprised by the sophistication of the lifestyle of the people of Kyoto through the festival. I was inspired by the way their lifestyles seemed to show through their fashion.

The event was such a big success that the "NEAT" pants sold out in 30 minutes, and Mr. Nishino, the representative of NEAT, also exhibited a pair of pants he had designed using old military fabrics.

Interview03_LOCAL STAFFWe wanted the festival to convey Kyoto culture well.

Hiroyuki Mizuno /Journal Standard Store Manager

Mizuno-san conducted this year's Kyoto festival as the local representative.
Working hand in hand with local staff, they made every effort to select a venue unique to Kyoto and to attract stores to open their stalls.

We spoke with Mr. Mizuno, the festival leader, about the highlights and points of focus unique to festivals in Kyoto.

It's hard to narrow it down to one thing. If you look at it from a relative perspective, the festival offers "food, clothing, shelter, and beauty," which can be experienced in Kyoto. Also, Kojima Shoten's lantern shop is a unique workshop. I don't think we could have done it without the local connections.

He went on to reflect on the process up to the present day.

We had meetings with the Kyoto-area store staff once a month since the beginning of the year. As the festival approached, I felt that the employees' morale was rising and the horizontal pipe was getting even thicker. At the same time, I think we were able to reaffirm that we can help each other out when something goes wrong."

New challenges to inspire local staff.

There are many fashion-oriented events, but this festival, which is linked to local revitalization, could not have been created without the very local pipeline. It is only through the efforts of such local staff that we were able to create a festival that can only be experienced today.

And while the festival is named to enliven the local area, I felt that it also serves to strengthen the unity of the local staff who are entrusted with the management of the event. Perhaps this is also the reason why major boutiques are holding festivals in various regions in this day and age.

The next stage is Sendai on November 2. What kind of festival will be held under the theme of "play"? What kind of festival will they hold under the theme of "Play"?