IKIJI, an original factory brand created by four manufacturing companies in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, opened its first permanent store, the IKIJI Store, on August 4th. The store is located at 1-5-7 Midori, Sumida Ward, Tokyo. The 57-square-meter store offers a wide variety of products, from men's apparel like cut-and-sew tops, knitwear, and shirts to accessories like wallets and business card holders. Sumida Ward is home to a diverse collection of companies with rich technical and traditional skills, from fashion industries like polo shirts and knitwear to leather goods and metalworking. IKIJI leverages each company's unique technical capabilities and strengths. Hakuhodo Design President and Creative Director Kazufumi Nagai was involved in the branding, while Birthday Chief Designer Satoshi Toyama was involved in the design. Based on the concept of the shitamachi and Edo eclectic style depicted in Sankyoden and Hokusai Manga, the brand offers designs tailored to modern lifestyles. Aiming to become a representative Cool Japan brand, the company is also working on overseas expansion, including presentations at select shops in France, as part of Sumida Ward's overseas sales strategy. Previously, the brand has been sold at events at Ginza Mitsukoshi, Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store, and Tokyo Skytree's Solamachi, as well as at Fujimaki Department Store, e-commerce sites, and TV shopping channels. This new store will be the first permanent store to house all of the brand's items, and will also function as a showroom showcasing the brand's unique style and quality. Seiko's President Makoto Omi, who was the first company in Japan to produce polo shirts for professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, said, "Our products have been highly praised by Colette, Merci, and the French Association of Handicrafts. Now that we have a base, we will further study annual merchandising and other aspects to firmly establish domestic sales and promote our products overseas. We also hope to actively participate in joint exhibitions in countries such as the UK and Italy, and make presentations overseas." The shop, built about 50 years ago as a factory and later used as a warehouse, was redesigned by D-Brain, a design and construction firm known for its work on many fashion shops, including Beautiful People and the Marc Jacobs Aoyama store. The store expresses the brand's theme of "modernizing Japanese culture" by using sliding screens made by Sumida artisans Kataoka Byobu-ten and tatami mats made by Komiya Tatami-ten. The store sells exquisitely crafted polo shirts and other cut-and-sew items, knitwear by Teruta, a company with a long history of knitwear manufacturing, leather goods by Ninomiya Goro Shoten, and woven shirts by Winthrop. Polo shirts and other items are available in four sizes, from small to extra large. Although it is a men's brand, it is popular with women at special events held at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store and other locations, and the small size can be worn by women as well.