Hiroko Takahashi | #011 "3120" MINO JAPANESE PAPER (Part 1)
FASHION / WOMEN
May 25, 2015

Hiroko Takahashi | #011 "3120" MINO JAPANESE PAPER (Part 1)


Introducing 3120: A New Brand of Mino Washi Paper


#011 "3120" MINO JAPANESE PAPER (Part 1)


In January 2011, a new Mino washi paper brand, "3120," was born. The Mino region in Gifu Prefecture boasts a 1,300-year history as a paper-producing area. This is a new initiative by five manufacturers in Mino to convey the existence of the paper born here to more people and allow them to truly appreciate its value.


Text by Hiroko TakahashiPhotos by Shiori Kawamoto




3120: Pronounced "San-Ichi-Ni-Zero"



For "3120," Shu Hagiwara served as producer, while I handled art direction and design. The brand name "3120" is read as "San-Ichi-Ni-Zero" in Japanese. However, in the logo mark, the 3 and 2 are turned on their sides, allowing it to be read as "MINO" in English letters.




Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 02


Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 03



By not including keywords like Japanese or washi paper in the brand name, and by using universally recognized numbers, we aimed to encourage people, both in Japan and abroad, to engage with the products created by "3120" with a pure mindset, free from orientalist perceptions of Japan or the preconception that "Made in Japan" simply means high quality.



Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 04


Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 05




The Paper Itself is the Tool



From January 21st this year, for five days, we unveiled "FOLIO 3120," the first series from 3120, at "MAISON&OBJET," an international interior design trade fair held in Paris. This is a simple product, created by cutting paper made using the techniques of the five manufacturers into squares and folding them in half. Without being bound by the image conjured by the word "washi," and within the definition of "paper born in Mino," we created this product with the desire for people to experience the paper itself, from traditional handmade washi by Living National Treasure artisans to newly developed special machine-made papers.




Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 06


Hiroko Takahashi | Mino Washi Paper 07



"FOLIO 3120" is also a product designed to leave its use up to the individual, without prescribing specific applications, thereby prompting a reconsideration of how we interact with objects and tools. In Japan, there is a traditional paper tool called "kaishi," and "FOLIO 3120" is a similarly versatile paper tool. The way a single sheet of paper can be used for various purposes is akin to a tenugui (hand towel). However, these items remain merely paper or cloth unless the user discovers their potential uses. In today's lifestyle, filled with convenient tools, we rarely have the opportunity to truly engage with and contemplate objects. How to use things, how to utilize them fully until the end – this sensibility, which was once commonplace in Japan, is what we believe is needed now more than ever.

3120
http://3120-minowashi.jp/

TAKAHASHI HIROKO
http://www.takahashihiroko.com/