DESIGN /
PRODUCT
April 22, 2015
CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN | Shop "coto mono michi at TOKYO" Opens
CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN｜CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN
A showroom shop selling gifts that embody a "new Japan" has opened.
"coto mono michi at TOKYO" Opens in Omotesando
CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN is a creative agency that operates borderlessly across graphics, web, products, CI, and more. Their showroom shop, "coto mono michi at TOKYO," where one can purchase gifts that embody "the next generation of a new Japan," including regional products they produce, has opened in Omotesando.
Text by KAJII Makoto (OPENERS)
Also notable as a proactive showroom
"coto mono michi at TOKYO" gathers regional products of the next generation that evoke "Japan's future." It functions as a showroom proposing bridal and overseas souvenir gifts, while also serving as a place for buyers to gather, and supports distribution, embodying a new style of showroom shop.
Among the offerings are the "Sabae mimikaki" ear pick, made from cellulose acetate, the material used for eyeglass frames, which won the 2013 GOOD DESIGN Award, and the "SEE OH! Ribbon" ribbon product, realized through collaboration with a Fukui-based ribbon manufacturer.
Then there's the "Card Chest," a card case conceived as "a small piece of furniture for storing business cards with care," merging the superb woodworking techniques of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, with CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN's meticulous graphic work. Also featured is the "Trace Face Light" series from Seto, Aichi Prefecture, where a molder crafts products expressing relief through hand-carved techniques. All are items that invite you to pick them up.
A desire to feel the spirit of Japanese artisans
Tsutomu Kanaya, who leads CEMENT PRODUCE DESIGN, states, "The design industry, centered on graphics, which is our founding business, is sustained by those who create and sell products. However, in recent years, local industries engaged in manufacturing, striving to preserve, pass down, and develop their crafts, are shrinking due to factors such as rising costs and the outflow of technology overseas.
We support small and medium-sized enterprises in these local industries in their efforts to develop their own products, which is a new path. We are advancing initiatives nationwide with people in local industries, moving from a business style that waits for orders to one that actively promotes sales, by considering their accumulated techniques and current challenges (Koto), developing products through design and marketing (Mono), and handling everything from sales to PR (Michi)."
Showroom Shop
"coto mono michi at TOKYO"
5-2-16 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Aoyama Flex A
Tel. 03-6427-4556
Opening Hours | 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
http://coto-mono-michi.jp/