BEAUTY /
THE EXPERTS
December 26, 2014
LOOM NIPPON | Yukari Kagami's Hopes for Reconstruction
LOOM NIPPON
Making Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture a Premier Cherry Blossom Destination in Tohoku
Yukari Kagami's Vision for Reconstruction Through Fashion. Part 1
The general incorporated association "LOOM NIPPON" was established in July 2011 out of a desire to support those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Yukari Kagami, who serves as its director, is also the representative director of Dormeuil Japan and MCM Fashion Group Japan. We spoke with her about the background of establishing LOOM NIPPON and the details of its projects, which aim to create employment and support reconstruction in disaster-stricken areas through fashion.
Text by Ryo Muramatsu (OPENERS)
March 11, 2011. And the Beginning of the Project
Yukari Kagami, who entered the Japanese agency for Lanvin, a leading French maison, and has been involved in domestic and international fashion for over 40 years. Reflecting on the situation immediately after the earthquake on March 11, 2011, she said, "I saw on TV that Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture was engulfed in flames. It was a place where the shipyard that helped produce the Lanvin boutique, which holds a special place in my heart, was located. I was truly worried."
The Lanvin flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo, opened in 2004. Its massive iron facade, perforated with approximately 3,000 small holes resembling polka dots, was created by Takahashi Kogyo, a shipyard in Kesennuma. It wasn't until mid-April that we were able to contact Mr. Kazushi Takahashi, the representative. While confirming the situation over the phone, Mr. Takahashi mentioned that "a single flower bloomed on a cherry branch in the garden, which had been washed away by the tsunami." This made Ms. Kagami feel that "cherry blossoms are a symbol of hope." The desire to "plant many cherry trees in places where many were washed away by the tsunami" grew stronger each day.
While searching for a place to plant cherry trees, Ms. Kagami was introduced to someone who served as a Miyagi Prefectural Assembly member by a friend from Minamisanriku Town. She learned that Minamisanriku Town was once prosperous with silk, being the birthplace of sericulture in the Sendai domain, and had won the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition. "I had goosebumps. That exposition is also known for France's first fashion pavilion. Its director was Jeanne Lanvin. I was captivated by Jeanne and have been working with Lanvin ever since. Hearing the story felt as if she were telling me to go to Minamisanriku Town." Ms. Kagami's heart was drawn to Minamisanriku Town, which is adjacent to Kesennuma.
Shortly thereafter, discussions with the Minamisanriku Forest Association led to the decision to plant cherry trees. The goal is to plant 3,000 trees over 20 years, surpassing the number planted in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, which is known as the top cherry blossom spot in Tohoku. She hoped that by seeing these cherry blossoms, many people would remember and eternally pass on the memory of those who perished in the disaster. The cherry tree planting evolved into LOOM NIPPON's core project, the "SAKURA PROJECT."
LOOM NIPPON
Making Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture a Premier Cherry Blossom Destination in Tohoku
Yukari Kagami's Vision for Reconstruction Through Fashion. Part 2
A Tapestry of Love Connecting to the Next Generation
As time passed and the full extent of the earthquake's devastation became clearer, Ms. Kagami recalled the words of Alber Elbaz, Lanvin's creative director, who always said, "Fashion is emotion." When friends from around the world, who had witnessed the orderly behavior of the Japanese people after the disaster, told her, "Normally, there would be riots. It's unbelievable that people are helping each other so calmly even in the midst of a major earthquake," she realized that "the emotion within me was love for my homeland."
"Love Of Mother Land" is the English expression for "hometown love." Taking the initials, "LOOM NIPPON" was named. "The word 'LOOM' means a weaving loom. In the sense of connecting emotions, we want to weave a tapestry of love using the vertical threads of various generations and our generation as the horizontal threads. The horizontal threads create the design in fabric. Therefore, we want to firmly pass on the designs we create to the next generation." Through the act of "weaving," Ms. Kagami conceived of creating bags, a staple product of fashion, and established the organization "LOOM NIPPON" in July 2011 with the aim of creating employment and promoting reconstruction in Minamisanriku Town.
Astro-Tech, a precision parts manufacturer in Minamisanriku Town, volunteered to produce the bags. Although they had no prior experience in fashion and their factory machinery was damaged by the tsunami, Yamani, a Tokyo-based manufacturer, provided technical support. The bags are meticulously hand-woven, with each piece of leather crafted by the female staff of Astro-Tech. The two white lines on the body, a distinctive design feature, are inspired by the stars twinkling in the東北's night sky, devoid of light on March 11th. Astro-Tech now handles the entire process in-house, and its sales have reached approximately 160% of their pre-earthquake levels.
A portion of the bag sales is allocated to cherry tree planting. "Our goal was to plant 3,000 trees over 20 years, but we have already planted 852. We plan to hold a large cherry blossom viewing event in 2021, ten years after the start of the 'SAKURA PROJECT.'" Three years have passed since LOOM NIPPON began. Companies both in Japan and abroad, including Dormeuil France and Onward Kashiyama, have endorsed this initiative. This May marked the third tree-planting festival. As continuous support for the disaster-stricken areas is crucial, LOOM NIPPON's unique endeavors are certainly worth watching.
LOOM NIPPON
http://loom.or.jp/
YUKARI KAGAMI
Representative Director of Dormeuil Japan and MCM Fashion Group Japan. Born in Tokyo. Appointed President of Lanvin Japan in 1997 and became Representative Director in 2003. Currently serves as a business advisor for Lanvin. Recognized for her numerous achievements, she also serves as an advisor for the United Nations World Food Programme Association and a director for Kids Earth Fund. In 2011, she established the general incorporated association "LOOM NIPPON."