GK had the pleasure of speaking to Yukihiro Yoshida, president of Yoshida & Co. Famed for its PORTER line of bags that are loved across Japan and the world over, Yoshida is committed to not only the latest design trends, but also supporting craftspeople across the country.
Across many different areas of fashion, from shoes to high-end garments, what do you believe is the aspect that sets Japanese designers apart from the rest of the world?
We value the founding monozukuri philosophy – the belief that ‘a Bag is a Tool’. The founder, a hand-sewing craftsman, arrived at this thought during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. In those days, evacuees needed something to carry their belongings from the remainder of their homes; a bag was a vital asset to them that carried all of their necessities. This remains the core of our design today, with each detail of our products having functional value for the customer.
Our founder was a craftsman who himself tried to preserve Japanese artisanal skills. Because of this, we have a strong connection to our identity as Yoshida & Co. This combines the technical and non-technical aspects of making bags. A good example of the strong level of craftmanship in Japan is our experience during the pandemic. While stores were closed, we of course had less sales as a result. Initially, we planned to visit the workshops of craftspeople who create bags for us, and explain that because of this weakened demand, we would not be able to purchase as many bags this season.
However, at this time, one artisan came out of the workshop and showed us a new prototype with improved stitching. Because of time freed up during the pandemic, they had the opportunity to experiment and refine their techniques, even though production overall had slowed down. This showed to us that we share a similar mindset with the craftspeople we work with in Japan, and we were proud of it; this kaizen mindset is really the pinnacle of production here.
How important is the preservation of traditional techniques to your company, and how are you planning to utilize them more in the future?
As a manufacturer of bags, we believe that our mission is to preserve artisanal skills, as well as improving the overall level of ability in the industry. There are many different techniques used throughout Japan, including kakishibu which we used for our LUGGAGE LABEL line. Given that these each have their own long, unique histories, there are many lessons that we can learn. Rather than using the skill just ‘as it is’, we always try to adapt its technology and story into modern interpretations for our brands, producing something that is entirely unique.
Sometimes, we are introduced to these craftspeople through mutual connections, and sometimes we meet completely by accident. Each person in the industry takes pride in their work, as do we, which makes it easy to forge a connection and work on something together. We always value the fun, interesting points that we can connect when working on collaborations.
How are you planning to spread Porter and the rest of Yoshida & Co.’s brands to the wider international market?
Getting in touch with the international audience and sharing the quality of Japanese monozukuri is something we wish to do more in the future. We have so far advanced into areas such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand, as well as other areas. With the anniversary of the TANKER currently underway, we hope to expand into new markets via pop-up stores going into the future.
That said, rapid expansion will undermine our traditional craftmanship techniques. So going forward, we will have to draw a balance between balancing production volumes and meeting the demand from the international market.
