PROFILE
Born in 1986 in Osaka. Skater who runs the "Wimsey" brand of socks and its flagship store "COFLO" in Horie, Osaka. His pop-ups and other events held in various locations are always a hit. He has collaborated with Vans, Black Eyepatch, KYNE, GEZAN, and many others.
Instagram:@sotanakai
Komeda's cream soda is a whimsy!
Sota, how are you feeling these days?
Recently, I have been busy traveling to Tokyo for an exhibition.
I remember it was quite a while ago when Sota first told me about this collaboration with "Coffee Shop Komeda Coffee Shop" (hereafter, Komeda).
Yes, we started quite a while ago. Maybe two years ago? When you order a cream soda at Komeda, it comes out in a boot-shaped glass. That was a topic of conversation among our customers, who thought it looked like the Whimsy logo. That was about three years ago. It became popular to go to "Komeda", order a cream soda, and post it on social networking sites with our tag.
The items to be released include a T-shirt printed with Cream Soda.
Wow! Interesting (laughs).
We certainly look alike! We thought, "Well, this would be fun for the customers if we made it into a product. We thought it would be fun to make this into a product, and it would also be a fun way to tell the "Komeda" side that they have a younger clientele. However, I thought it would be difficult for us to come up with the idea on our own, so I explained the situation to "BEAMS T," with whom we have a long-standing relationship, and asked them to bring us to the negotiating table.
It's not easy when it's a major company in a different industry. Did Corona have anything to do with the fact that it took two years to launch?
Yes, I think it is. It was about this time last year that everything was completed. In the meantime, "Komeda" was working on the project without lowering their tension too much. It was the first time in their 50-year history that they had handed over their logo to someone else, so it was quite a difficult task. But we left most of the tedious work to "BEAMS T" (laughs).
The look was filmed inside the "Coffee Shop Komeda Coffee Shop."
What did you find difficult in terms of Wimsey?
As you might expect from such a large company, it was very difficult to get approval from each and every department. Fortunately, everything we wanted to do as a product was approved.
Have "Komeda" collaborated with apparel brands or created merchandises in the past?
This is probably the first time. You can actually buy boot glasses at the store, and Komeda has created their own original merchandising. I learned about them through the boot glass, and I was impressed by their detailed branding. Moreover, their branding is "for the customer" in every aspect of the branding. I was impressed by that.
I don't feel like you are forcing them to do something, but rather you are confronting them.
This may be off topic, but there are various factories in the Mino area of Gifu Prefecture that produce fabrics and socks for Wimsey. Komeda" has long been a place where artisans in the area go for a cup of coffee at 10:00 a.m. or so after they finish their first work in the morning.
That's a new one for me.
I would meet people from the same industry over coffee, so we would chat and have a meeting, then have a smoke, and then work hard in the afternoon! Then we'll work hard again in the afternoon. I learned from the people at the factory in Gifu that this was the kind of restaurant where people would linger for two to three hours.
Wow! I thought it was a place of rest and relaxation.
Also, I have come to realize that the reason Komeda now offers a wide variety of rice dishes on its menu is a result of their decision to go in the opposite direction of pure coffee shops, despite the popularity of rotating coffee from foreign companies during their 50 years in business.
I see, yes, that's true. They say you can stay longer.
I think this is because they think with the customer in mind, and the fact that they are able to compete in this style and make a business out of it is in itself an amazing feat. Even though it is going against the times, the business model that is unique to Komeda was born as a result of prioritizing the comfort of the customers.
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