Interview with Yuuki Sugano, CEO of waji Inc. (aoneco / glart / alter)

The workshop is an old house from the early Showa period that is registered as a tangible cultural property

Waji Co., Ltd. creates products with clear concepts for each of its brands, such as "Supporting rescued cats and manufacturing," "Combining artisanal skills with art," and "Turning young people's free ideas into reality with the skills of experienced artisans."

Waji's workshop, located in a residential area in Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka, is an old house built in the early Showa period and registered as a tangible cultural property. When I entered the workshop through the noren curtain and pulled the door open, I was greeted by the representative, Hiroki Kanno, and the Tokyo branch manager, Rui Sekine.

The interior of the building is an atmospheric space that makes any Japanese person feel romantic, stylish, and want to live there. On the second floor, there are many equipment and tools such as sewing machines and leather skiving machines, and craftsmen are working on products every day, so you can see the actual manufacturing process.

Waji started with just two people: the CEO and a craftsman

-Please tell us about Waji's history.

waji was founded on January 21, 2016 in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture by myself, Kanno, the representative, and one other craftsman. We started out with the brand "aruci" (Aruchi), which offers semi-custom-made scissor cases and aprons for hair stylists, but now we have a variety of other brands.

I (Mr. Kanno) am mainly in charge of the design, and the products are made by our staff craftsmen. Many of our craftsmen are young, in their 20s, some of whom have a strong desire to go independent someday, while others are already independent and work at Waji a few days a week.

--You started out with products for people working in hair salons. Did you always have an interest in the beauty industry?

Yes, I originally wanted to be a hairdresser, and I understood very well that stylists are particular about each and every tool they use, so I was confident that I could create a product that would meet their needs.

One of the reasons was that I thought it would be difficult to suddenly enter the market for bags and other items, and I decided that this field was still a blue ocean.

"aoneco" is a brand that aims to support rescued cats through manufacturing.

--Currently, Craft Cafe carries three brands: "aoneco," "glart," and "alter."

Aoneco is a brand launched in 2021 with the concept of "May all cats sleep peacefully." I myself have received a lot of happiness from living with two rescued cats, and as the manager of a manufacturing company, I wondered how I could support cats, and this brand was born.

Aoneco products come with a coupon that allows customers to donate about 10% of the product price to cat shelter cafes or NPOs, and customers can choose the facility or organization to donate to. How the donation was used is also posted on social media. It is a system that allows the brand to continue supporting cats, and is transparent and easy for customers to understand.

I am mainly in charge of the design of aoneco, and we use cat silhouettes and patterns subtly to avoid being too cute, and we develop products that can be used by people of all ages. It is now the most popular brand developed by waji.

Aoneco's clear system for supporting rescued cats

-- I think this is a wonderful initiative. The quality of the products is also very high.

We didn't want to lower the quality just because it was a charity item. Considering the amount to be donated, the cost rate was high, so at the beginning of development we looked for ways to reduce costs together with the manufacturers of leather and metal fittings.

With the cooperation of our material manufacturers, we were able to produce a high-quality product that we were very satisfied with, while also securing a donation for the cats.

Many of our staff at Waji are cat lovers, and as part of our employee benefits we also offer cat cafe visits. I think one of Aoneco's strengths is that it was created by cat lovers.

Glart: Beautiful, unbreakable stained glass

--The stained glass designs of the glart items are very gorgeous.

These stained glass parts are made of real glass. I love antique doors with stained glass inlays, and I wanted to make leather accessories with that look.

Tomi Glass, run by Sekine's relatives This product was created through much trial and error with this manufacturer.

The concept of glart is "a fusion of artisanal techniques and art," and it took a year and a half to complete. We are confident that it is Waji's greatest masterpiece to date.

Using real glass in leather goods was problematic in terms of durability. We had to ensure that the glass would not break and injure our customers.

There was also an idea to use acrylic instead of glass to solve the durability problem of stained glass. It's a very practical solution, but there was a concern that it would end up looking cheap, like a toy.

We believed that the beauty of stained glass could only be reproduced using real glass, so by using "glass finished at a processing factory that specializes in the same type of glass used for airplane window glass," we were finally able to commercialize the product in 2018.

Our custom-made windproof stained glass is durable and we have never had a customer report the stained glass breaking.

--It's a very glamorous and luxurious design that makes you want to use it forever.

"Alter" - A collaboration between young and experienced craftsmen

--Please tell us about "alter," a brand that is known for its asymmetrical design bags.

I wanted to create an opportunity for young craftsmen to realize their ideas, and that's how the brand "alter" was born. This is a brand that was launched a while after the company was founded.

For example, with the design of a bag, some of our younger staff members commented that a straight-line design made it difficult to carry, so we tried a curved design like this one, which resulted in a bag that is not only functional but also visually unique.

When developing products, young craftsmen do not handle everything alone; experienced craftsmen also check and adjust the usability, so we are proud to create products that are both unique and of impeccable quality.

-- I think it's a great environment where young people can feel free to express their opinions.

In fact, I am often surprised by the flexible opinions of young craftsmen. As a result of collaboration between young and experienced craftsmen, various products have been created, and some have even been used by actresses in TV dramas.

Influenced by her painter aunt, she decided to become a hairdresser

--Next, I'd like to ask you about your company representative, Mr. Kanno. Did you have a desire to work in the field of manufacturing since you were a child?

I think my interest in making things was largely influenced by my aunt, who was a painter and ran an art school. However, as a child, I was more interested in playing outside and music, as I also took piano lessons, rather than drawing.

When I was in elementary school, I was thrown into an art class, and I hated it so much that I ran away halfway through (laughs).

--Was your aunt's training so strict that you wanted to run away?

My aunt's teaching methods were quite strict for a child, and she would scold me if I drew normally. I remember her often telling me to imagine what I wanted to draw.

My aunt had a unique style of painting and would paint what she saw in her dreams, and I believe that her guidance and style have had a big influence on who I am today.

I do most of the product designs for waji, and my aunt has praised them highly and even displays my work in her art class (laughs).

--I'm glad that your aunt recognized your work. Did you continue to study painting under her after that?

No, I was in the soccer club at school, and I also formed a band when I was in high school, so I think I continued to live a life that had nothing to do with painting. After graduating from high school, I thought about becoming a hairdresser.

-- A hairdresser! I'd love to see you working as a hairdresser.

But in the end, I didn't become a hairdresser. I wanted to be a hairdresser who could speak English and work overseas, but when I considered participating in a hairdresser study abroad program at a foreign company, I was told that the tuition fees would be 6 million yen per year, so I thought that was impossible (laughs).

After graduating from college, I transferred to university where I majored in Indonesian and studied the language and traditional arts. During my time at university, I took a year off and went on a working holiday to Australia.

--Working holidays in Australia seem to still be popular among young people in Japan.

That's right. At the time, there were no smartphones, so I carried an electronic dictionary with me to communicate with local people, and when I was looking for work, I went to Japanese restaurants with my resume in hand, like a sales pitch (laughs). I also joined an amateur soccer team in Australia, and I think I had a lot of great experiences.

After returning to Japan, I suddenly became a completely different person and became very serious (laughs). I even sat in the front row in my university lectures and took my classes very seriously.

After graduating from university, I joined a specialized trading company and was given a variety of tasks in the division handling ethnic products.

My overseas experience as a salaryman and the sudden bankruptcy of the company I worked for that became a turning point for me to go independent

--How was your work there?

I was confident in my guts, based on my experience as captain of the soccer club I belonged to as a student, my experiences on a working holiday, etc. Therefore, I think I was able to gain the trust of those around me by proactively doing things that no one else in the company wanted to do.

However, I still had a strong desire to go abroad and couldn't give up my dream of a life of traveling around the world, so at the age of 26 I decided to change jobs.

--I see. What was your career like after that?

I moved to a company that sells 100-yen shop products and worked as a buyer. My job took me to China, South Africa and other countries, fulfilling my dream of traveling abroad.

Although the work was very rewarding, I also noticed the value in the careful craftsmanship of artisans, which contrasted with the business of selling mass-produced goods, so with the help of a friend who worked as a craftsman, I moved to a company that sold bags.

I worked in production management there, and the company also gave me the opportunity to visit overseas countries on the pretext of inspecting production sites.

It was a very good company, but one year after I joined, the company suddenly went bankrupt. I had been entrusted with managing a large business at the company, so when I heard the news of the bankruptcy, I was really shocked.

The company was later acquired and things managed to get better, but I felt a strong sense of powerlessness. Even though I had a position, I was unable to do anything in the face of this sudden situation.

I had been working a side job with permission since I was still a company employee, and from there I desperately prepared to become independent, not only to raise funds but also to acquire the knowledge and skills I lacked. After about two years, I decided that the time was ripe and decided to incorporate.

I met several of the Waji employees, including Sekine, through my colleagues at that company. I also met the craftsmen who came with me when I went independent at that company. After that, people who left the company also joined Waji and are working hard as full-time employees and part-time employees.

The early days were anything but smooth

─So you finally founded waji. What was the situation like in the early days?

At first, I made scissor cases for hairdressers, but they didn't sell well (laughs). I only got one order a month, and that kind of thing continued for days. I knew I had to pay my craftsmen's wages, so I attended various exhibitions and asked various manufacturers if they would like to enter into an OEM contract (production contract under a customer's brand) with me.

I also approached salons in Europe, such as in Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark) and Italy, but when I visited a salon in Denmark as a cold call, when I told them the price, they said, "That's cheap! I'll buy it!" (laughs)

--So overseas salons have recognized your work.

The price was very reasonable for Europeans, and the fact that it was made in Japan also gave people confidence in its quality. As a Japanese person, I am proud that Japanese products are being recognized overseas.

The good thing about Japanese products is that they are not just sold to customers, but are designed to allow customers to use them for a long time. For example, as the product ages, the stitching in a certain area becomes weak, so they may decide to double stitch this area. I think it is these kinds of small details that make them so popular overseas.

So that waji's message can reach overseas

─What is the current situation with waji?

My motto is to never be picky about work or turn down a job if it will benefit us. I am grateful for any job offer and have worked sincerely on all of them. As a result, I was appointed by Sakai City to work on product development, such as upcycling unused fire truck hoses and the felt used on the surface of tennis balls.

Also, it seems that many people are interested in the aoneco project's support for rescued cats. I once received a phone call from an unknown number praising me, saying, "Your activities are great!" (laughs)

─It's a bit surprising, but I'm very grateful to receive such praise. I heard that in addition to supporting cat rescue activities through the Aoneco project, Waji is also planning to support the creation of an environment for visually impaired children to play sports (※1). What are the reasons for your active involvement in charity?

I think it's because I'm easily empathetic to a lot of things (laughs). However, I don't think that these activities are one-sided support from us. For example, in the aoneco project, I think that we and the cats have a win-win relationship. To be specific, the fact that buying aoneco products leads to the happiness of cats is what encourages customers to buy them. I feel very comfortable with this kind of mutually supportive relationship.

--Finally, what are your future prospects?

The name waji means "land (ji) of harmony (wa)" and also expresses our desire to "build our own path (ji)" and to deliver our craftsmanship not only to Japan but to the world. While developing the domestic market, we also want to expand overseas.

We have already received orders and inquiries about Aoneco products from customers in Taiwan, and we are working hard to expand our sales channels to other countries such as Singapore in the future. We want to work together to continue making products that are loved by people all over the world.

(※1) waji has signed a sponsorship contract with visually impaired professional soccer player Kohei Matsumoto, and will work with Matsumoto to run a project to create an environment where visually impaired children can play sports.

─After the interview

The workshop has a kitchen with a wide variety of seasonings, where the company president, Mr. Kanno, cooks for his employees. Mr. Kanno believes it is important for everyone to "eat from the same pot," and apparently they even hold parties at the workshop for employees' birthdays, making it a very homely workshop. When we finished our interview and left the workshop, the Waji team received a cute souvenir. They were a keychain made from a fire truck hose, an Aoneco charm, and drip coffee, and their warm hospitality really warmed our hearts. We will continue to support the Waji team so that their passion and craftsmanship can reach all over the world.

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