Isetan Mitsukoshi and BEAMS have teamed up to launch "STAND Kyushu," a project event aimed at rediscovering the charms of various regions of Japan, starting March 29th at The Stage on the first floor of the main building of Isetan Shinjuku and at BEAMS Japan.
The event is part of the new project "STAND FORTY_SEVEN," launched in November 2016 with the theme of "unearthing and promoting the charms of Japan and contributing to regional revitalization throughout Japan." As the first installment, "STAND Kyushu" will focus on Kyushu. Focusing on artists active in Kyushu, designers and creators will curate folk art and traditional crafts, and unique ideas born from collaboration will help create new appeal for Kyushu.
To further uncover the appeal of "STAND Kyushu," FASHION HEADLINE traveled to Kyushu with project member and Isetan Mitsukoshi buyer Kenji Aoki. We visited artisans who have passed down Kyushu folk crafts for generations, and creators who experienced the earthquake and are working to revitalize their hometowns, and spoke to them about their new challenges as part of the "STAND Kyushu" project. We will also be starting a series of articles chronicling our encounters with these people.

--Table of Contents (to be released sequentially)--
■Creators Born in Kyushu

01. An unusual collaboration between a Fukuoka ramen shop and a notable brand that made its Tokyo Collection debut. "Hide-chan Ramen" x "Daublet"
02. The end of a broom handle is a shoehorn! A visit to "OPEN STUDIO," a workshop in Kumamoto that makes unique brooms never before seen

■ "OK SHOP," a new venture into manufacturing by a shop in the disaster-stricken cities of Oita and Kumamoto (O・K)

03. Meiji-era printing press and wooden type. Kumamoto's letterpress printing factory, "NINE LETTER PRESS"
04. With the business continuity of retailers in jeopardy after the earthquake, what can we do? Nishikido Chikara, one of the founders of "OK SHOP," talks about the important bonds that have blossomed from connections with the community and people

■Kyushu hardware and folk crafts x California taste

05. "Hikoichi Koma," a local toy modeled after the raccoon dog that appears in "Hikoichi Tonchibanashi," has been transformed into a modern piece!
06. The "Konoha Monkey," a Kumamoto folk art that dates back over 1,300 years to the early Nara period, is transformed into a pastel-colored guardian deity

>>Next page: Takuhiro Shinomoto, owner of "Tortoise General Store" [INTERVIEW]