Aug 4, 2021

#001 the beginning | KENTO HASHIGUCHI

I'm Hashiguchi, a designer. When I told the staff, "I would like to write my thoughts and columns like a magazine on my company's website." I was told "I want to read the secret story of the launch", and I don't think there is such a secret story, but I'd like to write it, so I'd like to write a little story about the launch of the brand for the first time.

ーーーーーーーー

I made my first bag during the summer vacation of my third year at university in 2015. At that time, I was working part-time at a second-hand clothing store in a certain G group, and while I was assisting in purchasing, I learned about various brands. I had a vague admiration that the brand was cool. As I was looking at various fashion items on my part-time job every day, I began to feel that I didn't have the bag I wanted, so I decided to use my summer vacation time to make the ideal bag for myself.

Fortunately, the university I went to was free to enter in 24 hours, and there was a place like a large production room used only by the department. There are almost no issues during the summer vacation, so almost no one goes in and out. All you want to use. I bought a book on how to make a bag made with a household sewing machine and imitated it to give shape to my ideas. At that time, I made a backpack called "randsel". I don't sell it anymore, but if you are interested, you can find an image on google.

At that time, I had a vague admiration for the brand, and I was posting anything I made with the aim of launching it on SNS. Of course, when I made "randsel", I posted it on SNS after it was completed, but the post was so responsive that it was incomparable to previous works (such as a necklace attached to the collar of a button-down shirt). It wasn't like tens of thousands of RTs, but it was a so-called "buzz" moment for me. I don't have a slight desire to buzz now, but it was nice to see what I made being evaluated by the world without anyone knowing my existence at the time.

Among the many spreads, a person who said "Please sell" appeared. Perhaps without this person, the bag brand wouldn't have started by this time. No, I might have started. I think I started, but I still vividly remember it (I don't remember anyone) At first, the number of pieces that could be made was limited, so we sold only 5 pieces. Five pieces were sold out in one hour after posting the start of sales. That is the beginning of KENTO HASHIGUCHI.