"Link ~bonpon x Clothing ISETAN MITSUKOSHI~" is a collaboration between "Clothing ISETAN MITSUKOSHI" (hereafter "Clothing") and bonpon. Ahead of its launch on June 6th, FASHION HEADLINE is sharing stories about the collaboration.


In Part 1, we told bonpon's story. We spoke with the two about Instagram, link coordination, and even personal matters. The details of the collaboration gradually became clear in the second half, but in Part 2, we'll talk about the creation of the collaboration itself.

Part 2: How the bonpon x Clothing ISETAN MITSUKOSHI Collaboration Came to Life

We spoke with Isetan Mitsukoshi buyers in charge of clothing and select brands. How did this exciting project come about?


--What led to the collaboration

"Now in its second season since its launch, Clothing still needed to increase its recognition. As I was racking ideas, I heard about bonpon, a brand that is popular on Instagram," says buyer Kurita (hereinafter referred to as Kurita), who handles Clothing's dresses, skirts and blouses. Clothing is an item-specific brand, and based on basic items that can be easily incorporated, it proposes stylish clothes that you'll want to wear today. Bonpon's style, which combines simple items with colors and patterns, seemed to share elements with the clothes Clothing makes. In addition to the large number of followers, bonpon is an aspirational figure supported by people of all ages, and is widely recognized both domestically and internationally. These two points were the main reasons why we approached them to ask for their advice on how to get more people to know about Clothing.


--How bonpon and Clothing connected

After contacting them via Instagram DM, they received an immediate response, so the group headed to Sendai, where bonpon lives, to meet and talk in person. The couple, who are now hugely popular on Instagram, receive offers from all sorts of places every day, but they see Instagram as simply a way for the couple to record their life together and one of their hobbies, and generally do not accept requests that deviate from that philosophy. So why did this collaboration with Clothing come to fruition?

"The two of them struck us as there is a connection between bonpon's style and Clothing's approach. Their way of enjoying fashion, and the way they combine and choose clothes are wonderful, so we went to meet them with the hope that we might pick up some creative inspiration from our conversation. We had no intention of having them wear and introduce items that had already been commercialized," says Hatanaka, a buyer who handles knitwear and cut-and-sew items (hereafter referred to as Hatanaka). As he himself is from Tohoku, the conversation was lively and he also empathised with the way he wanted to create clothing. Before we knew it, the ideas were expanding rapidly.

Meanwhile, in an interview for the first episode, bonpon said he was surprised by the action from Isetan Mitsukoshi, and that he never imagined he would be involved in making clothes. The natural connection to a project that both parties could enjoy led to the realisation of the collaboration.


At the Sendai Mitsukoshi department store where the meeting took place, we were greeted by latte art by the two of them.

--These are the items that will be available

In order to reach people who share the atmosphere and coordination that bonpon has, we asked pon to name the items that he uses most frequently in his daily life, and we narrowed it down to three items: a round-collar three-quarter-sleeve shirt, an A-line dress, and a crew-neck cardigan. Furthermore, although the clothing line is a women's brand, as the theme this time was "LINK," we also added a unisex "V-neck cardigan" that can be worn by slim men like bon. A total of four original products will be available. Select brands will also be offering exclusive goods exclusive to Isetan Mitsukoshi, allowing customers to enjoy coordinated outfits more widely. ANTIPAST will offer socks, a key item in bonpon's coordinated outfits, FABRICO will offer tote bags with the B and P logo, Bobby Dazzler will offer one-of-a-kind stuffed toys inspired by bonpon's coordinated outfits, and Fil D'araignee will offer pin badges with the faces of bonpon and his beloved cat, Ten-chan. Also planned for sale in the store will be miscellaneous items such as glasses that frequently appear in bonpon's coordinated outfits.

"The selected items are inspired by gifts that you'd want to give to someone special. The socks have been designed to create a sense of connection, such as a message tag from the daughter who inspired bonpon to start Instagram. We'd be delighted if parents and children, spouses, couples, and friends would give them as gifts and start coordinating outfits together." (Mamiya Buyer, hereinafter referred to as Mamiya)


Round-collar, three-quarter-sleeve shirt (original product)
BP Embroidered Crew Neck Cardigan (Original Product)

Antipasto Socks with Message Tag

Phil D'Allenier's bonpon and a pin badge featuring his beloved cat

Bobby Dazzler stuffed animal


--What a department store can do

It all started with borrowing advice, but once the planning got underway, it was Isetan Mitsukoshi's time to show their skills. Their professional job was to make the content enjoyable for everyone, not just bonpon.

Hatanaka:We believe that bonpon's supporters are Instagram users who are well-versed in e-commerce (digital, including the buying and selling of goods online). We live in an age where you can get all kinds of information online and shop without visiting a physical store, but we thought it would be interesting to create a system that would attract e-commerce-savvy Instagram users to our stores instead. Anyone would be excited to go into a store and meet someone they admire and follow on Instagram. We are considering setting up Instagrammable photo spots in our stores, as well as planning benefits for customers who visit our stores through linked coordination. It would be great if those who actually visit our stores could post about it on Instagram, allowing more people to share the excitement.



--What we learned from bonpon

The buyers all agreed that when it came to making the clothes, "it was just a rush of ideas." Based on bonpon's advice, they paid particular attention to three points: the color of the material, comfort when worn, and whether it looked neat. Since bonpon is particular about the color of the red and blue, the knitwear was made using original dyes made from the yarn, and is moisture-wicking, comfortable to wear, wrinkle-resistant, and washable, achieving "a balance between appearance and functionality." Also, as they were concerned that the cuffs would look sloppy if they stretched, they added elastic thread all over the cuffs to give them some bounce. Similarly, the neckline is tightly fitted to ensure a well-balanced fit. The length of the blouse and dress was also a major consideration. As people get older, they don't want to expose their elbows even in summer, so the sleeves are three-quarter length and the length is set to a neat, clean length without any bulk. Another important point was that the material should not be see-through.


The second meeting in Sendai

Kurita:We came up with a series of ideas to solve bonpon's problems. They often wear pin brooches and were concerned about making holes in their clothes with pins, so we came up with the idea of embroidering the letters B and P and adding holes in them so that the pins could be inserted. The blouses and dresses are made by completely different companies, but everyone knows bonpon, and when I told them about this project, they were very supportive. It really brought home to me how amazing these two are, connecting things that normally wouldn't be connected.
Embroidered holes for pins into b and p


Mamiya:When you get to know the personalities of these two people, you feel like you want to help them make all their dreams come true. In that sense, I think they are truly capable of creating so many "opportunities."

Hatanaka: Bonpon's basic principle is "dressing to suit your personality." They hate looking sloppy and value looking neat. Because the items are simple, they were particular about creating a clean look. It made me realize that this is a "thoughtful" point that their clothing line aims for, and something that they should incorporate into their future clothing designs.

From the left, Buyer Kurita, Buyer Hatanaka, Buyer Mamiya

The kind personalities of these two buyers, which we, the editorial team, experienced firsthand in the interviews in Episode 1, are also put to full use in the manufacturing process. The collaboration items, which pon said were exactly what he had hoped for, will finally be revealed in the next episode, Episode 3! Please look forward to it.

Next time, we will bring you "Episode 3: Link Coordination of bonpon x Clothing ISETAN MITSUKOSHI."

>>[Episode 1: About bonpon]: The collaboration between bonpon, the beloved Instagram couple, and Clothing ISETAN MITSUKOSHI