United Arrows as seen by Mr. Shibata

– What did you think when you heard that the fashion brand United Arrows was going to be making furniture?

Shibata: I did not have any concerns about this. I already knew them as a boutique shop that offers generic everyday items from the point of view of fashion. Hence, I felt that this would be a very natural transition in their business. I believe that having market-leading boutique shops, such as United Arrows, take this kind of approach might raise awareness of the public toward the design of living spaces. I have always felt that, compared to the type of fashion that is visible to others, Japanese people’s awareness with regard to interior designs is fairly low and investment in this area is relatively unbalanced.

– So are you saying that United Arrows is probably the perfect company to shake these biased values of the Japanese people?

Shibata: Yes, I believe so. I think the key of United Arrows is its ability to take opposing elements and expertly making them coexist in harmony with each other. By elements I am referring to their dissemination power, which helps them lead market trends, and their traditional mind, which stays at the root of their values. Fashion and traditional standards tend to be considered as completely separate concepts, almost opposites of each other. However, the company makes them coexist with one another in perfect balance as it develops new products right in front of our eyes. This is why the brand has had the support of a wide range of people across all eras, a support that has allowed them to use their great persuasive power to create new experiments like this.

– What was your first impression of the actual products when you saw them?

Shibata: I got the impression of things being created with their feet on the ground. In a sense, this is not a new idea. Just like with the concept of secular evolution, I felt that the products looked like Oxford button-down shirts, in that the more you wear them, the more they become familiar to your body.

– So you mean that the traditional mind you spoke about earlier is featured strongly in the products.

Shibata: Yes, that’s right. I could feel the great pride and strong spirit toward the creation of things held by Mr. Kamoshita, Creative Director of United Arrows, and Mr. Sasaki, who designed the furniture. Mr. Sasaki had previously designed the shop interiors of United Arrows, so he was already familiar with what Mr. Kamoshita wanted to express with the products. He is someone who will never make compromises when creating something. Thanks especially to the experience and technical knowledge of these two people, and the affinity of their senses and ideas, they were able to create permanent products that are likely to remain with us for many years to come.

Magnificent furniture created by dressmakers

– What did you focus on when editing the visuals of the project?

Shibata: The products themselves were so strong that I did not want us to give too much away. Also, I wanted to represent the beauty of the furniture as directly and straight forward as possible. In addition, I thought about how I could express the United Arrows characteristics that we spoke about earlier. As a result, I decided that I wanted to work together with people who already understood the UA brand philosophy and sense of beauty, so I asked Yasuyuki Takaki to be the photographer, and Takahiro Goko to be the stylist.

– I am sure they both have their own firm outlook on the world, but which areas did they have in common with United Arrows?

Shibata: Mr. Takaki had already known Mr. Goko for a long time, and they both have a very sharp aesthetic sense in relation to the world. Both of them have their own unique points of view and outlooks. They also have expert knowledge of furniture, so I knew they would be able to draw out the key charms of the products within the photos. Mr. Goko actually used to work for United Arrows, and nowadays he works as an import agent and is also the owner of Swimsuit Department, an exclusive shop by appointment only, which offers vintage goods. Styling is not his main occupation; however, he has expert knowledge and fantastic sense when it comes to furniture and design. This is why I asked him to work on this project; I was sure that he would be able to suggest styles that are full of depth by saying things like, “For this kind of taste, you should place this type of thing.”

– The Northern European and Mid-century styles, as well as the traditional styles based on Japanese techniques such as the kumiki wooden puzzles, have been used as the base for the furniture designs. Did Mr. Takaki and Mr. Goto’s work draw out the key features of these styles?

Shibata: Yes, well, they not only worked on the design as seen from the surface, but they also worked really closely with us in terms of the core concepts behind the furniture and our attitude towards design and manufacturing. Expressing all these elements in photos is generally extremely difficult, but they were able to visualize our thoughts accurately. We are extremely grateful to them for this.

– Can you give some specific examples?

Shibata: I am referring to the ambience and atmosphere in the photos, but also for example, if we are looking at sofas, they worked on everything in detail, such as the shape and the gap of the armrest, the beautiful style of the background, and so on. I would be here forever if I were to list all of them (laughs).

– So they needed to focus on the smallest of details.

Shibata: Their refusal to compromise on the details is reflected on how accurately Mr. Sasaki performs his calculations when designing the furniture. He also did things like incorporate clothes fabric as the upholstery for the sofas and use Cordovan leather, materials that no one would ever think of unless they worked in the tailoring business. He had a firm idea of the scenery that would be created using these materials. This is probably largely thanks to Mr. Kamoshita’s direction.

– It looks like they have run out of the store catalogs created for this project. I heard that they are currently printing additional copies.

Shibata: It would be great if the catalogs could draw as many people as possible into the stores. There is no point creating new things and then not doing anything with them. Our role in this project is to use magazines and web sites to connect customers with the shops and the products. The moment when people touch the actual products and decide to buy them will be the first time when we will feel that we have succeeded.

Furniture that reflects the spirit of Japanese hospitality

– During the creation of the visuals, what was different from the first impressions that you spoke about at the beginning? Did you notice anything else?

Shibata: When I saw and touched the actual products for the first time, I felt that this was furniture that had a mutual relationship with users and had a sense of awareness about affordance. I could tell that designs were born from thoughts like, “By adding this kind of detail here, the user would use it like this,” or conversely, “If a user is going to use it like this, then this has to be designed like this.” I was able to sense elements that are not visible at a quick glance, such as the aesthetic sense and sense of hospitality of the creator.

– At a glance, they look like simple designs; however, in reality they have been created with particular attention to all sorts of details, haven’t hey?

Shibata: Yes. I also really like the fact that the designs are not too forceful or brash. They somehow leave a certain amount of space, a scope that allows users to find their own way of using them. I think this furniture has a way of making users realize for the first time how good it is once they have used it. What is important is not just the moment when people buy the furniture; these products have been manufactured with a clear idea of what they would look like after using them for 5 or 10 years. This way of thinking is reflected in United Arrows’ concept of “traditional mind.”

– One element that United Arrows places great importance in order to achieve customer satisfaction is the concept of a vessel (environment, facilities, and space). This new furniture can also be considered as a vessel; however, how was the United Arrows’ vessel seen in your mind?

Shibata: I touched a bit on this before, but I believe that the scope that the furniture leaves for its users, which prevents it from coming across as featuring a forceful design, corresponds to United Arrows’ vessel, and it also represents the spirit of Japanese hospitality. Vessels do not only encompass the service provider, but they also include the receivers of the service to complete the overall system. I believe that this furniture is definitely the epitome of this concept. The final products faced head on questions such as: “What should the relationship between the furniture and users be like?” “What can we do to make them be loved for many years to come?” To me, this sense of beauty or stance represents the core value of United Arrows.