PROFILE
After graduating from college, he worked as a detached house salesman in his hometown of Miyagi, Japan. . He then moved to the apparel industry, where he worked in PR and as a buyer. . He is currently the Asian Marketing Manager for Red Wing. He is also a big sauna lover and goes to the sauna 3 times a week.
Instagram:@as71022
Boots are just a form of our thoughts. What we truly want to deliver is "something invisible".
Please tell us about the "WILL YOUR WINGS" initiative.
Abe: Red Wing boots are extremely well made and can be worn for many years with repeated maintenance. This means that they can be passed down from parent to child, from master to apprentice, or from teacher to friend. WILL YOUR WINGS" will convey the value of such actions.
What exactly do you mean by "the value of action"?
Abe: When you pass something on to someone or inherit something from someone else, I believe that not only the thing itself but also the feeling is conveyed. For example, learning, teaching, important thoughts, and style, etc. These are things that do not remain in a tangible form. Boots function only as a form to convey information, but what we really want to convey is something "invisible. In other words, we want to deliver feelings.
It's like a story that is unique to that person.
Abe: Yes, that's right. There is one letter that triggered the start of this campaign. In the past, Red Wing held an "Ugly Boot Contest" in the United States. The letter was written by a woman who entered the contest.
I am entering my boots in the "Ugly Boot Contest". Actually, I want to show you how Red Wing products have changed after almost 50 years.
These boots were bought by my first husband when he was 12 years old. He was born in 1937. When we got married in 1962, I had not yet hunted and needed hunting boots. And lucky for me, he was 12 years old. He bought a pair of boots that fit me perfectly.
Since then, I have hunted almost every year wearing those boots he gave me, but this year's dove hunt finally ruined them.
I have only one question. How does Red Wing, a company that makes boots that can be worn for 50 years like mine, make a profit?
With all my heart, Peggy.
Abe: I think that only Red Wing can provide the quality of boots that can be worn for many years, even in the harsh conditions of hunting. I am sure that Peggy's husband never thought that the boots he got when he was a little boy would support his wife's feet in the future. However, the boots from Red Wing have transcended the times and have become such an existence, and they were able to give Peggy an impression. I think that is a very wonderful thing.
It's kind of romantic, isn't it?
Abe: For this campaign, we also produced two movies to tell those stories in a modern way. One is the story of Yoshio Kobayashi, the representative of Red Wing Japan, passing on his feelings to his daughter. It is a story of cultural learning and adventure passed down from parent to child. The other is the story of Braelen, an American horseshoer, and his apprentice Max, who shares his passion for craftsmanship through "Red Wing" boots.
