In April of this year, H&M launched the "Street Outdoor Project" in collaboration with Bunka Fashion Graduate University. The project, which H&M's design team conducts with art universities around the world, marks the first collaboration with an Asian school. As part of the project, students from the school's Fashion Design (Design major) and Fashion Technology (Pattern major) courses participated in a competition. After three lectures by H&M designers and pattern makers, the finalists were selected on September 10th. The winning team, consisting of Eriko Shiio (Fashion Design course) and Jung Ja-won (Fashion Technology course), received an internship opportunity at the company's headquarters in Sweden. The judges, project leader Peter Krusel, senior designer for men's casual wear and sportswear, pattern maker Lisa Skoglund, and product designer Shuhei Numata, visited H&M's Stockholm headquarters in Japan. Also participating were Professor Sanae Kosugi, Dean of the Graduate School of Bunka Fashion Graduate University and President of Bunka Fashion College; Professor Minoru Abe, Head of the Fashion Technology Course at Bunka Fashion Graduate University; Kinuko Iwasa, Editor-in-Chief of Men's Non-no; and Takafumi Hojo, Web Editor of the magazine. After completing their judging, Crusel and Numata spoke about the project. First, please tell us the purpose of this project. Peter (P): H&M collaborates with many fashion schools on projects, and this one is one of them. Our goal is to discover and support young talent from around the world. We also hope that this project will inspire interest in H&M's philosophy and working style, leading to potential collaborations in the future. This is our first collaboration with a school in Asia. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to team up with the world-renowned Bunka Fashion Graduate University. What is your mission as project leader? P: This was my first time working on a school-related project, and I wanted the students to have fun while also learning a lot. The theme was "Street Outdoor." The assignment was to create men's wear that combined fashion and functionality. A key feature of this project was that the project was worked on in pairs, consisting of a designer and a pattern maker from the Fashion Design and Fashion Technology courses. This aimed to achieve both fashion and functionality while also fostering the teamwork that H&M values.

--The lectures focused on technical aspects, but was there anything else you wanted to convey?

Numata (hereinafter N): This is on a larger scale, but I wanted to help students overcome their preconceived notions about employment. In Japan, it's common for students to take employment exams while still in school and start work in April. However, in Europe, there are hardly any employment exams. Typically, students join the company after a three-month internship, once the company and the individual reach an agreement. I wanted to convey that if you want to work overseas, there are always opportunities. Of course, there are language barriers and the need to gather a lot of information. That's why I thought I could provide some support as someone who actually works overseas, so I gave the students my contact information. I've already received emails from two people, so I think my message got across.

Continued on 2/2.