Designer Obana recently started using Instagram and LINE. His Instagram account chronicles his daily life rather than promoting his brand. The back of his Instagram account offers a glimpse into his sophisticated management skills, not just in designing clothes but also in running a brand. The conversation then turned to an unexpected side of Obana.


T: I had a very conservative image of you, Obana, so I was surprised. I even thought maybe you still hadn't got an iPhone (laughs).

O: And you're right. In fact, until the beginning of this year, I even went to the trouble of buying a SIM-free Blackberry to use. But the market finally stopped supporting Japanese. But the biggest reason (for me to change my phone) was when I made a phone call in New York and my phone bill rose to tens of thousands of yen within a few days.

I was worried, so I asked people around me, "Hey, what do you think of LINE?" and they all said, "You should definitely get LINE." So when I started using it, I connected with my acquaintances incredibly quickly, and before I knew it, Instagram was on my way. I was like, "We can do it someday, right?" But when I asked, "Should we do it?" everyone said, "Yes, please."

So I said, "Okay, we'll do it, but we won't post anything commercial," and started with what we could do. So I did things like surfing the internet, and when I thought, "This person likes this kind of thing," I followed them, and before I knew it, I even discovered the secrets of the world. I was amazed at how quickly information was changing.

T: Is there anything you want to do on the web in the future?

O: Rather than wanting to do something new, I think my first priority is to bridge the gap between people who use digital and those who don't. In meetings to decide on web-related matters, I always try to voice my opinion from the perspective of a consumer who is least familiar with the web. There are people who don't use Instagram, so it's really important to talk from the perspective of someone who doesn't use those tools at all and identify blind spots. "It's only convenient for you who can use it, but it's not convenient at all for those who can't."

With that in mind, we decided to allow mail order sales because we wanted to give our clients more freedom.

T: You're thinking in a very systematic way. Our company actually uses a lot of human-wave tactics, so this is helpful.

O: If you do things systematically, the people in charge in each department will grow, but those who aren't on board with the system won't grow, so a certain amount of human-wave tactics is necessary. For example, if you give 100% responsibility to someone who has never done it before, they'll produce results, regardless of the level of completion, as long as they're motivated.

T: Even if you try and fail, it leads to growth. People who don't grow don't often fail, so I think an environment where they can fail is necessary. I've been working at the company for seven years and have seen a lot of different people, and I've noticed that people who accomplish great things are often people who were asked to do unreasonable things when they were younger, regardless of their age.

O: Yes. So even after they've responded to your unreasonable requests, it's good to keep asking them to do even more (laughs).

As for the systematic approach, in the beginning, we had each person combine their own items with the collection items I was presenting, with the idea of "making the most of each individual's individuality." This led to some people wearing cool styles that were completely different from the styles in the show. In the beginning, we attracted more unique people.

But eventually, people started just wearing what they wanted, and I had to explain to them, "This is how our brand should be worn." Eventually, we even had to decide the outfits in the store. I wondered if even that kind of thing had to be done systematically, but I was happy that the staff had thought about it and done it for me. Because they know in advance that it will be featured in a magazine and generate a reaction, they decide, "Let's show it in this way at this timing."

T: Recently, some new employees at our company started talking about Japanese brands but came to work wearing imported clothes, so we made a rule that "When you work in the store, please wear Japanese clothes, even if they don't sell them." Of course, it's fine if you wear it privately.

We are planning to expand overseas next year, and even if we end up incorporating good overseas products in the process, we want to continue to value the concept of "spreading Japanese brands to the world."

Back to 1/2 "N. Hari Obana Daisuke x STUDIOUS Tani Masato Talk Fashion Digital Management".


[Obana Daisuke Profile]
Born January 28, 1974. Originally from Kanagawa Prefecture. He was involved in the launch of the vintage clothing shop "Go Getter" and established "N. Hollywood" in 2000. He made his Tokyo Collection debut in 2002 and has since moved his presentations to New York. His directly managed store is located at 4-13-16 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. In addition to his collection line, he also offers "Compile," which sells suits, and "Under Summit Wear," which sells underwear.

[Masato Tani's Profile]
Born October 12, 1983, in Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Chuo University's Faculty of Commerce, he joined Daytona International in April 2006. He launched the select shop Studios and became independent through an MBO in February 2009. In March of the same year, he founded Studios Co., Ltd., which handles domestic brands under the concept of "From Japan to the World." In addition to a street-level store in Harajuku, he has stores in fashion buildings such as Lumine and Parco in major metropolitan areas such as Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka. His Fukuoka store will open in November 2015, his first store in Kyushu. In 2016, the company plans to expand overseas and launch new business models.