The work and life of a person who spends time with 【 Attitude's bags] Vol.4 Azusa Ito

ATTITU is a modern brand of bags and small leather goods that inherits the spirit of Tsuchiya Bag Factory (hereinafter referred to as "Tsuchiya Bag"), which originated from a workshop established by a school bag craftsman in Tokyo. Based on the philosophy of making school bags, which can be said to be the first bag you will ever own in your life, ATTITU continues to produce items with minimalistic and functional designs.

In this series of articles, we will look into the lives of four celebrities and elucidate the appeal of "Attitude," which accompanies them in their daily lives in all kinds of ways. In this final installment, we are joined by Azusa Ito, producer of "432MARKET," who shares her thoughts on her work and the role of bags in her daily life.

Photo_Haruto Inomata
Text_Akiko Maeda

I want to connect people and make places fun. By a natural progression, he became an event producer.

You are the producer of "432MARKET," but you started your career in the apparel industry, didn't you?

Ito.After graduating from Tomorrowland and working there for about four years, I gained experience as a temporary employee working as store staff for various brands, including Phillip Lim, Ron Herman, Dries Van Noten, and Droit de Droit.

That's quite an unusual career! Why did you stick to temporary employment?

Ito.I was attracted to the company because: I felt a sense of security in being able to easily understand the boundaries of my work and the fact that human relationships were not too deep. If I work hard and produce good results within a limited period of time, there is a possibility that I will be asked to work again, and I think the advantage is that I can control the way I work to some extent.

However, I chose to work for a brand that I thought was “wonderful” and that had momentum. In fact, I am still working as a sales staff in Tokyo while producing events.

It is a new way of working, being both an event producer and a store staff member. Do you have any difficulties in using your brains in different ways?

Ito.I think there are a lot of similarities between the two jobs, because although they are completely different jobs, they are the same in the sense that they involve “meeting people and making them happy. I have a habit of looking at things objectively and seeing what I can do to make people happy, so I think I am able to create a team that ”makes the environment enjoyable,“ which is my specialty.

However, I feel that I am only able to do this because of my temporary employment status. If I were a full-time employee and had many tasks to perform myself, I would not have the luxury of time, so I would not be able to think about creating an environment....

I think it's better to have the right amount of relaxation.

Ito.I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I try to relax. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I know that when I get carried away, I lose sight of what is going on around me, so I make a conscious effort to relax. I have also realized that it is more efficient for me to do what I am good at and leave what I am not good at to someone who is good in that area. I was able to find a work-life balance that suited me because I had worked too hard in the past and suffered a physical breakdown.

The "match" that we are visiting today is also a multi-space operated by Mr. Ito. How did you start this operation?

Ito.My main job is to manage "432MARKET," a market event focusing on secondhand clothing. 432MARKET" is held at different locations, but I have come to think that it would be nice to have a permanent space for the event.

It is used for a wide range of purposes, such as apparel exhibitions, pop-ups, and artists“ private exhibitions, as a space to ”connect people with people. It is also used as a venue for flea market events that I am involved in as an organizer.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the "432MARKET" that you mentioned earlier.

Ito.I had a lot of friends of the same generation who had started vintage stores around that time, so we started out in a casual way, like getting together with them and having a good time (laughs). (Laughs) When I was posting pictures of the event on Instagram, Newman contacted me and asked me to hold an event, and the scale of the event gradually grew.

We have held the event in Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Yamagata, and have met many people over the past 10 years. Each region has its own unique atmosphere, and we are happy to see that more and more people are coming to each event.

I heard that the event was not held in Tokyo last year.

Ito.One of the reasons is that events are held in Tokyo every week in various locations, so there is a concern that the number of visitors will be dispersed. Another reason is that it is difficult to find a location for the event because it requires a space of about 100 square meters. I think it would be interesting to specialize in regional areas for a while.

Now let's talk about your personal life. Please tell us about your daily routine.

Ito.: I have two main patterns in my routine. When I am helping with an exhibition, I get up in the morning, make my lunch, and head to Tokyo from my home in Kanagawa Prefecture. I work all day and get home around 10:00 p.m., get ready for bed, and go to bed at 24:00. Since it is late at night, I often do not eat dinner at night.

When I am mainly in the event business, I head to my office in Tokyo in the morning for a full day's work and return home around 6:00 pm. I definitely want to get home before the rush begins. Then I go to a gym near my home.

That's quite a stoic lifestyle, isn't it?

Ito.I'm doing it for mental health rather than physical health. I do it more for mental health than for physical development, so I just do the walking machine while watching movies on NETFLIX (laughs). It's a nice change of pace. Of course, I am not busy moving around every day. On days when I don't have any plans, I just laze around at home.

What we look for in a bag is simplicity and adequate storage capacity that does not interfere with our outfits.

nylon backpack xs 004
30,800 yen

Please tell us about the staple items in your bag.

Ito.: In my main bag I always have my notebook, makeup pouch, handkerchief, sunglasses, and water bottle. My wallet is compact and slips easily into my phone shoulder. I don't always carry my computer, so I am basically a lightweight type of person. Smaller items are sorted and placed inside the pouch.

LEATHER PHONE CROSSBODY 014
22,000 yen

What is your favorite thing about "Attitude" bags?

Ito.The two main features of the backpack are: it is a backpack with a modern look, and it is small but has a reliable storage capacity. The XS size I am using has a capacity of 5 liters, but it holds a lot more than it looks. It is also excellent that it does not lose its shape even if you put a lot of things inside.

It has a gusset, so it can hold an umbrella and a water bottle. For me, one bag is enough, but if you have a lot of luggage, it would be nice to have two. It would also be cute if you could arrange it with charms.

I think it will be useful not only for everyday use, but also for festivals and live performances.

Ito.: It's cute when carried quickly on a T-shirt or other lightweight clothing. Another high point is that it is basic, so it can be worn with any outfit. The leather tag, which is typical of Tsuchiya bag, also works as a point of interest. The shoulder belt is long, so you can carry it in various ways at any length you like.

The phone shoulder holds my wallet and lips in addition to my phone. Another favorite feature is that it is soft and thin for leather, so it does not become puffy.

That's an excellent point of view! Leather is heavy by nature, but by laminating a light and flexible polyethylene material, the weight is reduced and the strength is increased. I feel that Tsuchiya Bag's manufacturing is very good, taking advantage of its long history of working with leather.

Do you plan to continue to work hard both as an apparel staff member and as an event producer?

Ito.As for my future outlook, I don't have a specific “I want to be like this! I hope that I can continue to feel the way I do now for a long time. My work is based on having a good time, so I think I have no choice but to keep up with the times. When I look at the people around me who are active, I envy them a lot, but if I try too many things now, I will run out of breath... Anyway, I will do my best to take care of my physical health.

Also, when I am mentally down, I tend to take everything in a negative direction, so I would like to work on strengthening my mentality.

The "Attitu" store just opened in Kamakura in April this year, so please visit the store to see the other products.

Ito.I see that it is located in Kamakura! It's an easy place to get to from my house, so I'll take a peek next time.