On August 11th, the ifs Future Research Institute, operated by Itochu Fashion System, held a "Future Chat Session: 'Esprit Thinking' Workstyle: Hermès Executive Vice President Mineaki Saito Discusses Rich and Charming Workstyles" at the ifs Future Research Institute Salon in Minato Ward, Tokyo. The Future Chat Session is held approximately once a month at the salon. This time, Director Yoko Kawashima and Saito participated in a talk show and social gathering. During the talk, Saito explained his work at Hermès headquarters, saying, "Hermès was born naturally from French life and culture. Because it was born from such an environment, there are some aspects of why it is so popular around the world that are unclear, just as Japanese people do not recognize the good points of Japan. I believe that my role as a Japanese person here at the headquarters is to convey the good points and appeal of Hermès to the French people and to the headquarters." He continued, "Hermès does not create products with an ideal in mind, nor do we set out to create luxury brands or luxury goods. Our products are the result of considering what is needed to live a comfortable life. We don't use the word 'brand' at Hermès, and we don't engage in marketing. Brands and marketing are American methods that don't have the same history as Europe or Japan. The brand business is about successfully absorbing the methods of long-standing companies and proposing them to the masses in an American way." Regarding work style, he said, "The French are very good at valuing their lives. They don't work too much. They believe that they place themselves above the company, and that work that they don't enjoy isn't worth doing." During a Q&A session with attendees, he also spoke about his future vision, saying, "Personally, I want to spread the Japanese lifestyle, where everyone is kind, gentle, safe, and where many people can live happily, to the world. As for Hermès' vision, over the past 20 years, Hermès has become somewhat absorbed into the brand business, but going forward, we want to promote spirituality through our products." The third Future Chat Session will be held on September 8th. The guest is scheduled to be Hiroshi Onishi, President of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings.