The future of blueover
Text: Watari Hitoshi (blueover designer)
Introduction
This writing was originally intended as a way for me to organize my thoughts on the online media platform Note, but it was born out of a suggestion to turn it into a booklet to mark the milestone of my 11th anniversary. Therefore, the statements that appear in the text are merely for the purpose of organizing my own thoughts, and I have not written it with the intention of having anyone read it, so please understand that there may be some parts that are difficult to understand. Also, please understand that it is not based on academic or evidence, but is heavily subjective, based on personal experience. (June 3, 2022)
postscript:
I wanted people to have a leisurely read of this booklet at the end of the year, so I decided to serialize it on the website. Since writing this, I have been learning little by little about business succession issues, art, and welfare, and trying to connect these with blueover's activities, but things haven't always gone as planned. However, I hope to be able to share some of blueover's new challenges next year.
Amidst the current state of global affairs and social instability, we want to continue to put into practice, little by little, what we believe in, what we want to convey, and what we can do. Our business is making shoes and having people wear them, but we also want to provide value to those who wear them that goes beyond just "wearing shoes." We hope that this value will result in creating a brighter future for society, and that wearing blueover shoes will help people embark on a new journey.
Things may not always go well, but I believe there is meaning in continuing without giving up, and I intend to continue moving forward again next year. (December 11, 2022)
What I'm thinking now
The world today is full of uncertainties and problems that need to be solved. However, as an organization, we must think about what we can do and what we should do to address these problems, and then act on it. I believe this is the most important thing.
I originally worked in product design, planning and designing products together with companies. Then, 15 years ago (2006), I went independent, and 11 years ago (2011), I created a sneaker brand called Blue Over. Now, I run a company called Baton and have expanded into multiple brands. Although the company is small in number of people and sales are low, I want to make it a place where we can do what we want to do and what we think is good.
So, what I'm going to write about from now on is what I envision the brand to be like at this point in time. In particular, I'd like to write about Blue Over, the brand whose design inspired Monouri 10 years ago.
So first, I need to give a brief explanation of Blue Over , but that would take a long time, so I would like you to start by reading this about it (it's quite a long concept).
As I wrote at the beginning, the world is currently in a state of great uncertainty. Unprecedented difficulties are occurring in Japan as well. There are a mountain of issues to be resolved. Despite these circumstances, Blue Over has been able to continue thanks to the support of our customers. During this time, we have had many in-depth discussions with our colleagues about the brand's future, our production structure, and our plans for the future.
As others have said, the world is truly overflowing with goods. The days when products would sell simply by putting them on the shelves are long gone, and products now have to be sold in a variety of creative ways. Even then, it's difficult to get people to buy them. People's consumer behavior has truly changed dramatically, and I truly feel that the era of mass production and mass consumption of goods is coming to an end.
Domestically produced
Blueover has always been committed to domestic production, with one of its goals being to continue domestic manufacturing. This stance remains unchanged to this day. However, over the past ten years of running the brand, having actually visited and seen the manufacturing process, it is true that the view is different from when the brand was first launched.
Blue Over is a very small brand. Small brands like us with little capital need to create a sustainable system even on a small scale.
Usually, when requesting production from a factory, there are always production conditions, such as a minimum production quantity and the price per unit.
First of all, we have to accept these conditions, otherwise we won't even be able to make anything. Previously, these numbers were large, making them quite difficult for a small brand like us to meet, but in recent years, various factories have been shrinking, and as a result, the hurdles for production conditions have been lowered. This situation is convenient for us, but it means that the market size for the industry is shrinking. It's not a question of which is better, but this is the situation that is occurring.
Furthermore, most of the craftsmen working in the manufacturing industries around us are over 65 years old. This means that the organization is not making progress in rejuvenating itself, but it is also linked to the fact that falling wages are not creating jobs for young people.
We want to continue to focus on domestic production, but we also realize that we cannot continue on that basis alone. It is clear that we must break away from the current business model of the shoemaking industry.
Amidst all this, I have begun to see new trends among young people. I recently came across Setouchi Leather, a tannery (a factory that tans leather).
This tannery was founded by Inoue and Enami, who are nearly 30 years old, and it was a surprise to me as it was the first time I had heard of someone so young starting a tannery in the 10 years since the brand was launched.
A young tanner. That alone is unusual, but Setouchi Leather's trading style is also a bit unusual. Average consumers rarely deal directly with tanners; instead, they deal with middlemen known as leather wholesalers. The reason for this is that average consumers want to purchase even a single piece of leather, but tanners generally do not sell leather by the piece, and can only trade in quantities of around 10 pieces. This means that leather wholesalers hold inventory, allowing consumers to purchase even a single piece. And because tanners do not hold inventory, they purchase the entire leather at the tanning stage. In other words, dealing with tanners requires a high level of expertise, and even if the finished leather does not turn out as desired, they must purchase from 10 pieces.
For these reasons, tanneries have had a hard time coming out into the open. However, Setouchi Leather has added retail functions, connecting directly with end users while also creating a clear price list for consumer orders. In other words, it presents end users with an easy-to-understand fee structure, reducing opacity. This type of business model was previously unavailable in the industry. As a tannery founded by a young person with no previous ties, it feels like a new form of leather industry not found in long-established companies. Although these efforts are small, they are beginning to take root in various places.
Against this backdrop, I believe our position is to continue ordering domestically, even if it is in small quantities, as long as local factories continue to exist, while creating a sustainable production system that differs from the traditional shoe industry. I think we need to turn our attention to new production methods such as whole garment and 3D printing. Another option is to find employment forms that allow us to maintain the traditional machine-made method (hand-stitching using sewing machines). Production methods based on technological innovations such as whole garment are methods that can be thought of as reducing both environmental and human costs, so we would like to actively adopt them when the situation becomes feasible.
However, machine-made items using sewing machines always require human hands. However, the sewing industry is seeing a rapid decline in the number of seamstresses due to an aging workforce and falling wages. Looking at sewing alone, there is sewing for bags and clothes, but even within the same industry, the skills and types of machines vary, so it is not easy to outsource. From experience, it is impossible.
Generally, in a production system known as a wholesale cottage industry in a production area, there is a central figure who oversees the region based on orders from a wholesaler (in this case, the company that owns the brand), who then allocates the orders to sewing factories for processing.The sewing factory can be a small factory run by multiple people, or it can be a single house.
In the case of home sewing, the manufacturer would purchase a sewing machine suitable for shoemaking, impart the skills, and then commission the work. This economic cycle worked in the past, but now, due to the recession, the number of orders has decreased. Organized sewing factories have disappeared, and many sewing shops are run by individuals, such as in single-family homes. However, with the aging population, it is safe to say that the end of the wholesale-based cottage industry is undeniable.
It is about breaking away from past business models and creating and maintaining new systems. From the factory's perspective, young people like Setouchi Leather are starting new businesses, and sewing industries are operating with different business models than before. In addition, an increasing number of factories are launching their own brands and using crowdfunding, their own e-commerce sites, and platforms known as malls such as Rakuten and Yahoo to sell their products directly to end users.
And what our company can do for the sewing industry is to create human resources with multiple skills, such as "being able to sew and do marketing," and have them function within the company. This is a form of combining different job functions in a way that makes up for the disadvantage of low wages in the manufacturing industry.
Another option would be to become the promoter myself, introduce machinery to employment support facilities and provide technical guidance, and create a production system that is different from the past. I understand that neither is easy. To be honest, from the perspective of business efficiency, I think we should move away from machine-made products using sewing machines and instead use production methods that rely on technological innovation. I don't think this is a praiseworthy strategy, but I personally find stitchwork made with sewing machines fascinating, and I consider it a technical asset that I would like to pass on and preserve, so I hope you will look at me with a surprised expression on that point.
The value of folk art
Now that I've written about the current state and future of domestic production, I'd like to talk about folk art , which has influenced Blue Over. My thoughts on folk art and how it has influenced me are written in the About and Deep Dive content on the Blue Over website, so please take a look.
Over the past two years, I've been learning about folk art again, but I've also been inspired by a different approach: "Coten Radio," an audio media broadcast by Coten Co., Ltd. I started listening to it on a friend's recommendation, and I've become completely hooked on the content. Coten Radio has given me the opportunity to step back and recognize the ways of thinking that have shaped me up until now.
Koten Radio is a popular program that has become popular in recent years, and it introduces the incredibly long and deep subject of history, dividing it into sections on ethnic groups, religions, people, events, and so on. The commentator, Mr. Fukai, has a very simple and easy-to-follow narrative style, and the relaxed atmosphere of the program has made me hooked. After listening for a while, I was able to gain a bird's-eye view of the long history (which I think was extremely important).
It's like putting together a puzzle, fitting each piece (event) one by one, and eventually the whole picture (history) becomes clear. This gives a clearer understanding of how history is always created through correlation, and I personally believe that the greatest appeal of this content is that it frees us from the prejudices that have arisen from a fragmented understanding of historical facts.
Learning this perspective, and reassessing my own branding approach, I was able to organize the idea of mingei in a different way. When I was younger, my understanding of mingei was limited to the physical appearance, the act of creating tools, and the background, and I always sought a reason to understand it, finding context within it. I now realize that this was because I only had a point-by-point understanding of Yanagi Muneyoshi 's definition of mingei.
However, by broadly examining the history of religion and Buddhism, a different kind of folk art emerged before me.
I'm interested in folk art, but Buddhism has also had a major influence on my own way of life. However, the connections between the two were merely points, and I wasn't aware of any linear connection. However, as I continued to study, I felt like I had a vague understanding of Yanagi Muneyoshi's Buddhist perspective on folk art. This led to an understanding of the mindless beauty he advocated (although I haven't yet fully grasped his true meaning).
The beauty of innocence
I would like to offer my personal interpretation of the mindless beauty of Yanagi, who discovered Buddhist concepts hidden within folk art.
Mingei, produced in these production areas, is a part of the lives of the people who work there, and they continue to produce the same things over and over again every day. The hands that produce the work eventually let go of the maker's artificiality, and the work is born without any thought. This state of mindlessness is synonymous with the Buddhist practice of chanting the Nembutsu, and is thought to be linked to the act of attaining salvation by simply becoming mindless. The logic is that what is born from a state of mindlessness is salvation, and that beauty is found in salvation (it would be a bit much for me to talk about "salvation" from a Buddhist perspective here, so please bear with me).
When I started thinking about the appeal of Mingei again, it all started with the hardware product designs of Yanagi Sori (son of Yanagi Soetsu). That's how I got to know Mingei, but at the time I was working as a designer, so I tried to unravel its appeal mainly from the perspective of rationality (which can be explained with words like usability and functionality), but I was completely off the mark.
The products made by Yanagi Sori evoke the warmth (attachment) of their handmade craftsmanship, and embody a depth and beauty that cannot be explained simply by rationality. However, at the time, I made the mistake of trying to interpret this rationally. This was an act born entirely from ignorance. As an approach to creating art, Sori placed great importance on shapes born from the hands. Shapes born from repeated movements of the hands. He then layered modern industrialization onto this. It seems to me that this was a grand attempt to create the unselfish beauty that Mingei speaks of, through repeated prototypes made by Sori himself. Sadly, it is only now that I am finally realizing its greatness.
By approaching Mingei from a Buddhist perspective, I was able to notice aspects of it that I hadn't noticed before, but until then, when interpreting the characteristics and beauty of Mingei, I had only pretended to have a vague understanding of the mindless beauty. However, it was clear that studying the history of Buddhism had given me a clearer picture of the mindless beauty. This was a major realization for me. And, in fact, what had attracted me to Mingei until then was its practical aspect. In other words, I had understood it to be its functionality, the background to its creation, and its wholesomeness, but studying Buddhism made it clear to me that I was also greatly attracted to its "mindlessness."
In any case, it seems that there is no doubt that folk art thought has had a major influence on me. However, if you ask me whether I am trying to create folk art, I can clearly say that this is not the case. I'm not sure if I can explain it well, but I think of folk art as a cultural idea, something that emerges from society. If the activities that Blueover is currently engaged in are ultimately considered folk art in the future, then perhaps that is the case.
What is called Outsider Art
When explaining "Mushin," I need to tell another story. One day, I learned about a man named Henry Darger . His life was very interesting. Over the course of several decades, he left behind 15,000 pages of work, but these works were never published and were stored away, and he ended his life (he is a world-famous author, so you can find out many stories about him by searching). The fact that he continued to create such a huge amount of work without showing it to anyone. His life was so shocking to me.
When I work as a designer, I deliver work in response to requests from clients and receive payment in return. There's a client, I conduct research for a specific purpose, and think about the answer. I never doubted that this relationship was a completely normal part of design. But he was different. He simply poured out the world he imagined, producing an extraordinary amount of work as a daily occurrence, without being asked by anyone. It was something I could never have imagined. And his creativity, unconstrained by academia, captivated many. Naturally, some people's evaluations were based on knowledge of his upbringing and background, and I can't deny that I also see it that way. With that in mind, I want to say that I was shocked by his work. His pure and innocent energy had such an impact on my heart. It was then that I learned the term "outsider art."
Outsider art, as the word suggests, is defined as something that exists outside the realm of art. For example, works that do not incorporate general art education (art brut) or works of art that have been passed down through ethnic traditions (folk art). I believe it is positioned in contrast to works that do not belong to the so-called fine arts.
I have always been aware that there must be human intentions involved in things and events, and I have a habit of unconsciously trying to interpret their intentions. I guess I can't accept something unless I can find some kind of logic behind it. I think it's probably a kind of occupational hazard, having lived as a designer. I understand that this way of thinking is extremely beneficial in economic activities, and I don't think it's a bad thing. This is because problems can be solved by communicating with each other and reading what the other person is thinking. I think that many people, whether consciously or unconsciously, try to understand intentions in order to build smooth relationships.
However, as these habits became the norm, the emotional upheaval I once felt faded and became less frequent. This may be the result of the security I gained from being governed by order, such as the norm and rules, in social activities. It is an act of avoiding friction as we adapt to society, as a way for both parties to continue working efficiently and without stress. That's how I see it. But doesn't this behavior mean that we are losing sight of what we used to be able to see?
As rational judgments based on experience increase, the inexplicable are "removed" from thought. The mindless beauty of Mingei, mentioned earlier, is also judged as something that cannot be easily explained when constructed from a socially rational perspective, and true understanding is impossible. I myself had this mindset. However, I have come to believe that it is precisely in those things that are difficult to explain that the source of the emotional stirrings that have faded with experience and age lies.
The story of Henry Darger gave me this realization. Outsider art is a very broad definition. But strangely, I find a sympathy for many of the things that belong to this category called Outsider Art. I also believe that Mingei falls into this intriguing category. There are certainly things there that move me deeply. I can't explain them one by one, because I don't have a clear answer right now. But, even though I don't have a clear answer, I can say something vague: what moves me is imagination (creativity) that cannot be explained by the rationality created by humans alone. And it is connected to the empty mind. I can't help but feel that this may be a hint at the vision for the brand that will be achieved in the future, starting from Mingei.
I was truly surprised when I discovered outsider art. While there are many outsider artists in Japan, it was the world of disability art that first led me to explore it more deeply. (Hiroyuki Imanaka of atelier incurve is said to disagree with this categorization, but I'll use it to explain the context.) Incidentally, I'm not particularly familiar with the art world. To be honest, I didn't know the context of art and had little interest in it (though now I'm very interested). One day, as a novice, a staff member at work showed me the work of Yoshiyasu Hirano . It was truly breathtaking. His work, which seemed to thwart my habit of seeking logic and interpretation, was something I was never even allowed to unravel. His works are densely packed with letters across the entire surface, meaningless as words. However, these letters and words have their own unique rules, which give them a cohesive whole. And Hirano, the creator, never stops churning out his works every day. It's a mindless, endless repetition of the process. My emotions were stirred, and I even felt a kind of relief. I felt like a huge hole had been blown in my values, which I had previously understood logically and used to solidify my security. And the more I looked at the work of other artists who had become interested in art by people with disabilities, the more I was astounded by their creativity. I realized that things that easily surpassed my own imagination could be so naturally developed. I was stunned. I realized that there were countless levels in their world that I, as a designer, could never reach.
A feeling of resignation welled up inside me.
Change your glasses
I'm over 40. I consider myself middle-aged. Confucius said, "At forty, I no longer have doubts," but I still don't know who I am. My friends and I talked about a midlife crisis. I continued to pursue my ideal self, picturing it. "There must be an answer," I thought, desperately searching for myself. But the more I pursued and tried to find it, the more that feeling faded. However, from my appreciation of the "selfless beauty" of folk art to outsider art and art by people with disabilities, I realized that the goal I was striving for was impossible for me to achieve. It was a state I could never reach as long as I had selfish desires. It may sound strange, but by experiencing this feeling of resignation, I felt as if the desire I had been pursuing had been removed, and I felt a sense of relief.
I've strangely grown up, and while I've been labeling various events as if they were the right answer, as if I knew everything about the business world, I think I've developed a boring eye. In his book "How to Draw Living Things," naturalist Mitsuru Moriguchi writes, "The trick to observing nature is to 'wear glasses to see nature.' Nature is always there, but it's something that normally doesn't catch your eye." The glasses in this context don't refer to glasses as a tool, but rather to one's own perspective, a situation that perfectly applies to me now. Perhaps my constant use of business glasses has limited my ability to see things. However, changing my glasses reveals a completely different world. This way of thinking, freed from the competitive business world and able to see things from a different perspective, offers many hints for me, someone who, at forty, remains unconfused.
The truth of what I was thinking back then is in the past. Looking back, I'm embarrassed by what I was thinking, but those feelings were real. I was passionate. The younger I was, the stronger the reasons were, and they were often illogical.
I lost this feeling as I grew older. But after learning all I've learned, I now appreciate this energy. I've heard the saying, "A musician's first album is their best." Roughly speaking, it's because that first album represents their purest, most innocent feelings, untainted by anything else. It's what touches and moves the audience. I think I understand. Of course, there's no basis for this; artists undoubtedly pour all their energy into every album they create. But I'm sure a first album is memorable for the artist, too. It's because it's packed with energy. Personally, I always feel nervous and excited about new experiences. So I can understand, from a physical perspective, why it becomes a memorable memory. It's this idea that a certain "mindlessness" exists in the very act of trying something for the first time.
I realized that the reason I was feeling less moved was because I had been wearing my business glasses for so long. At the same time, I had overlooked the energy that comes from youth and opportunities such as challenges. To summarize what I'm trying to say here, I continued to wear the same glasses, and before I knew it, I had been seeing things in a biased way, which resulted in my eyes becoming dull. But by changing my glasses, I was able to notice important things that I had overlooked until then. This gave me a hint as to how I should live my life from now on.
I said that giving up made me feel lighter. It could also be said that I was liberated from the obsession I had been trying to achieve by creating something from a state of mindlessness. It's difficult to explain, but it doesn't mean stopping, it means stopping forcing myself to shape myself. Letting go of that obsession truly made me feel lighter. I'd like to think that I've now become able to think about what I want to do from a more meta perspective.
What we need to do
Baton is a company that makes things. Through the creation of our products, we want to convey the joy of living. To make society a little better. The brand that best represents this idea within our company is Blue Over. Therefore, the direction that this brand takes will also be a guide for the company going forward.
I have spent the past 10 years working with artisans in the shoemaking industry, with folk art as a backdrop. However, the future does not hold anything bright and shiny. I am no longer at an age where I can only talk about ideals, and I believe these past 10 years have been a time for me to learn the reality. As I wrote at the beginning, I hear many opinions that the reality for Japan as a country will likely become even harsher from now on. Japan's reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse is a glorious thing of the past, and the small-scale manufacturing industries that make up the majority of the country are facing succession issues as the population ages, making it difficult for them to continue.
Given these circumstances, what we must do is to continue domestic production. We believe that the meaning of our activities is precisely what French philosopher Bergson's "Homo Faber" advocated. Homo Faber, the craftsman, states that humanity is defined by intelligence, creativity, and the act of tool-making. We must ensure that the domestic craftsmanship that has continued to exist as proof that people are human continues to exist. We will not expand, but we must ensure that it is not lost. Although we do not have the history of a traditional industry, we want to maintain the fact that we make shoes domestically as proof that we have continued to make shoes as people involved in shoes. We will also create a system that will allow us to continue domestic production. It will not be on a large scale, but we must create a sustainable situation that will not be lost. We believe this is also something we must do.
What we want to do
We believe that the brand's goal is to transform the value of "simple beauty" that we have discovered not only in domestic manufacturing but also in folk art into objects. This value is the energetic imagination that people create. We believe that this imagination is a very important "power" that will support Japan in the future. And we would like to define the people who can create this power as everyone who is currently creating expression.
It makes me very happy when people buy the shoes I design. But my ideal vision for Blueover is to become a brand that grows by connecting with people. In this day and age, anyone can become an artist. The benefits of digital technology allow us to connect with the world, and there are now platforms that accept an infinite number of messages and expressions. Anyone can freely participate and share their thoughts. New forms of communication are emerging. The days when only traditional media were given the "privilege to communicate" are over. And the seemingly infinite wills and opinions of people are spreading. And they are reflected before our eyes in the form of words, pictures, music, and all kinds of cultural art. There, infinite energy is building up like magma.
And just as art by people with disabilities has made me realize this, I would like to convey through Blue Over the impact I have received from the pure hearts of people who work wholeheartedly. The main players in this are all those involved in creativity. When I am freed from selfish desires, I hope Blue Over will become a device that reaches even more people.
We, who are capable of making hardware (physical tools), take the creativity of creative activities that we think are wonderful and turn them into sneakers. This will be an opportunity to meet many people through Blue Over. We hope that everyone will be inspired and energized by this. Of course, it makes us, the ones who deliver it, and the creators and artists who work with us happy too. This is a state in which things connect and expand. This is something that is commonplace in the digital world, but is not yet being done in the real world. It's simple, but that's what it means. This is what we want to do going forward.
Japan's Potential
I've come to realise that Japan is a unique country. Japan succeeded in modernising without following a Western (white)-centric history or religious views, and its national power grew. After World War II, Japan was defeated and democratised by the United States. Since then, Japan has achieved impressive economic growth and great development, but it is said to be lagging behind in today's globalised society.
When Japan was riding the wave of the times, the vector of growth for society as a whole and Japan's characteristics (plus a growing population) meshed well, allowing the country to grow significantly. However, as technology evolved, the means of growth changed, and the country was no longer able to ride the wave. Unable to ride the wave, society is transforming into the next era, one in which individuals can connect with each other in a borderless way, despite the boundaries of nations. This means that as we go forward, we will need to understand not only our own country's culture, but each other as well.
This is why I believe that the academic discipline of cultural anthropology (ethnology) will be especially important in the coming era. Lévi-Strauss , known as the father of structuralism, used the concepts of "hot society" and "cold society." I believe that the "cold society," referring to the social structure of primitive peoples, may hold clues to a sustainable society (similar to the SDGs?). I believe that the evolution of culture and civilization through competition and war enriches people's lives. It is an undeniable fact that we too benefit from this (which I define as a "hot society"). However, this evolution continues to bring stress to both the natural environment and humanity. Perhaps this structure has already reached its limit. Rather than drastic change, I believe that cyclical change is necessary to sustain our people (the environment).
The social structure created by savages, which Lévi-Strauss defined as a "cold society," can also be found in Japanese culture, which he loved, and which will likely adapt to the changing direction of society. This Japanese culture is the values seen in works such as Yanagi Muneyoshi's "Mingei Shiso" (Folk Crafts Thought) and Tanizaki Junichiro's "In Praise of Shadows." Unlike the modern Western method of destroying nature and constructing something new, the Japanese are a people who have skillfully found ways to coexist with it while destroying it. This can be seen in the customs and beliefs of the Japanese people that existed before modernization. Perhaps this rationality is inherent in the Japanese people. I believe that these values are precisely what society will need in the future.
Coexisting with nature, circulating society at a sustainable scale without expansion. I hope that society will become like this in the future, and I intend for our brand and company to be like this. Our company's manufacturing is proof that people are people, and that human will and creativity are incorporated into our work. We want to work hard as a brand that can utilize what only humans can do, rather than being in the realm of AI, and as a company that can harness the enormous energy of the Japanese people of the future.
Conclusion
This ended up being longer than I expected. I'm not confident in my choice of words, and I'm sure there are still some uncertainties about how to write, but I've decided to finish writing without over-polishing it. If you've picked up this booklet and read this far, you're probably a customer who has become interested in Blue Over. We are truly grateful. We would be extremely grateful if you would continue to support us with a warm eye as we continue to carry out our activities. And we at Blue Over will do our utmost to ensure that by getting to know (and wearing) Blue Over, you will be able to spend your time very satisfied.
