The Relationship between Design and Function in The Recreation Store. vol.2 Naomi Hirabayashi | feature

The relationship between design and function as seen in The Recreation Store.
vol.2 Naomi Hirabayashi

Founded in 1973, the bag brand "OUTDOOR PRODUCTS" is still loved by people of all ages. One month has passed since the opening of its flagship store, "The Recreation Store. Naomi Hirabayashi supervised the art direction, and Atsushi Hayasaki of TEMBEA designed the bags and goods. The clothing was designed by Keigo Murakami of blurhms.
In the second of a three-part series, we are joined by Naomi Hirabayashi, who has been involved in the art direction of the store, including the store logo. She is a talented art director who has supported the visual aspects of numerous branding projects from high brands to boutique stores, as well as fashion. In this interview with Keiji Kaneko, director of "The Recreation Store," we will unravel her solid aesthetic sense and design approach.

Photo_Shinsaku Yasujima

Text_Shota Kato

Edit_Shun Koda

The delivery bag becomes a shopper⁉ Sustainability is the mechanism itself.

I felt that all of the bags looked cool not only when displayed neatly, but also when people hold them. I think this is also true of the shopper design.

Kaneko: In a way, I was most impressed with the shopper design.

Hirabayashi: Bags and clothes arrive at the store in delivery bags, don't they? After that, the clear bags are thrown away and displayed in the store, and when it's time for the customer to pay, they are put back in another bag and handed to the customer. The whole process seems ridiculous (laughs). (Laughs) So we decided to make the bags common. Since it was decided that the contents should be visible, we improved the delivery bag system so that one side was transparent and the contents could not be seen from the other side, resulting in the design we have today.

Kaneko: At The Recreation Store, the delivery bag also serves as a shopper. The transparent and black-and-white design of the bag allows us to inspect the items when they are delivered, and it also looks cool when stocked in the store as it is. It is the first time that a delivery bag can be used as a shopper.

Sustainability tends to focus on materials, but it is also very sustainable to review the system itself.

Kaneko: The fact that we were able to design this product with such attention to detail increased our confidence in the brand. I thought that Mr. Hirabayashi's problem-solving skills were not half-bad.

Hirabayashi: I think it would have been difficult if it had been clothes. I would say that bags are more established than clothes because the standards and sizes are clearer. I bought a Giant-size tote bag at the reception, and I was impressed by how fast the checkout was (laugh), because there was no need to pack it. I am the ultimate impatient person, so I thought this might be a good idea.

Kaneko: That's true (laughs). (Laughs.) From our point of view, as we were dealing with the customers, it felt strange because it was one less action than the usual accounting. I thought to myself, "I see, I don't have to fold them and put them in a bag. This is an idea that I hope will spread around the world.