. manufacturing based on authentic design.
Mr. Ikumoto, were these functions of "untrack" based on ideas that you had in your daily life?
Raw book:Of course, there was that, but we also asked each and every one of our employees what kind of bag they wanted, what functions they needed, and what they didn't need. Our target market is people in their late 20s to 40s, and we asked 80 employees to give us their opinions.
. It seems like a lot of work to put it all together.
Raw book:Yes, that's right. If a bag has too many functions, it will be difficult to use, so it took a lot of thought to put it all together. I would make a sample, test it by using it myself, and modify the parts that bothered me. Repeating this process over and over, I think I was finally able to narrow it down to only the necessary functions.
This is a tote bag in the "Park" category, which is made in Japan. The fabric is first-class canvas from "TAKEYARI," a Kurashiki-based canvas manufacturer established in 1888. The fabric is woven slowly and carefully on Belgian-made shuttle looms, and then treated with a paraffin finish. The canvas is now high-density, robust, and even more resistant to rain. The textured look and feel of the selvedge is also appealing.
Tote ¥19,800
Have you always been in the bag industry?
Raw book:I have been a bag shop owner for 16 years now. Before I launched this brand, I was a salesman myself. In the course of my work, I have seen many bags made by other companies as well as our own, and I have put my thoughts of "I wish there was such a bag" into "untrack.
I think you may have been able to see some things because you were in sales.
Raw book:What I wanted to express most with this brand was to create something based on authentic design. I wanted to give it a modern functionality. There were no such bags, and I thought there was a need for them. . If you actually use the bags, I think you will understand their various charms, such as how they fit into your daily life and how easy they are to use.
What kind of places will Untrack be available?
Raw book:. Basically, we will sell our products through our own e-commerce site. However, we still think it is important to actually see and touch the products, so we are planning to have pop-up events in many places. We are planning to do so at "Layered Miyashita Park" in Shibuya and "JR Kyoto Isetan" in Kyoto starting at the end of this month. We will be posting information about future events on Instagram, so please check back.
Finally, what are your goals for the future?
Raw book:. If the brand does well, I would like to open a store. As I mentioned, we need a place where we can see and touch the products, so we would like to create a flagship store and work hard to offer a full lineup of products.
