March 2021 will mark 9 years since ARCH&LINE's debut. Its endlessly stylish children's clothing, disguised as casual fashion, has captivated fashion-conscious people all over the world. We spoke to designers Naoto Koike and Mayuko Nagao about the appeal of ARCH&LINE, from their commitment to clothing to their consideration for the environment to leave a beautiful future for our children.

The meaning behind the brand name ARCH & LINE

ARCH (arch) means a bridge, and LINE (line). Both have the meaning of connecting people. This expresses our desire to be a brand that fosters a close connection between creators like us and consumers. Furthermore, the patterns (shapes) essential for making clothes combine curves (arches) and straight lines (lines) to create three-dimensional clothing, and the name also includes words that form the foundation of such clothing.

It can also be interpreted as mischief or detours (arch) and honesty or seriousness (line). The brand name "Arch & Line" reflects the brand concept of combining fun and cool, playful and traditional styles in the clothing design and style (Koike-san).

"Ordinary yet thoughtful" Arch & Line quality

Arch & Line is based on a clean casual style and aims to create clothes that are very ordinary yet somehow thoughtful. Since the clothes are not flashy, it's difficult to "feel like you're wearing Arch & Line," but that's what we're aiming for.

It's not flashy, but it's not cold either. However, I want my clothes to have a subtle sense of fashion and a subtle sense of quality, so I'm extremely particular about the materials I use. I make my cut-and-sew pieces from yarn, and I even specify the number of times the yarn is twisted to create a unique texture.

There's a lot of ingenuity in the design. While they may look like a standard top, the armholes are integrated with the body, eliminating the shoulder line. This allows for a cute, dropped shoulder, regardless of body type or height. Perhaps the charm of Arch & Line lies in the concentrated essence of these "secret ingredients" (Koike).

Adults and children connect through clothing. Clothes the whole family can enjoy.

As I mentioned earlier, the brand name Arch & Line has the meaning of connecting people. In fact, another defining feature of Arch & Line is its ability to connect adults and children. We also offer adult clothing for men and women in the same materials and designs as our children's clothing, so matching outfits are possible. One design can be enjoyed by both adults and children, and we create our clothing with the image of conversations being woven through it.

In fact, we have cases where parents who saw our children's clothing and liked it come back to buy the same thing, and we also have cases where mothers like our clothes for themselves and buy them because they want their children to wear the same style. It makes me so happy to think that Arch & Line's clothes are building bridges and sparking conversations in homes. (Koike)

We strive to create clothes that make a lasting impression on both the children who wear them and the mothers who use them.

When we create children's clothes, we want them to enrich everyday life. To that end, we incorporate elements that bring a smile to the faces of both the children who wear them and the mothers who use them.

For example, we choose cotton for our knitwear so that it can be washed every day, but we also add a weft thread to prevent it from losing its shape and create a spongy finish that feels comfortable against the skin.

As for outerwear, I hear that there are quite a few kindergartens, nurseries and schools that prohibit hoods, so some are designed with hoods that can be stored away, and some are even pocketable so that they can be stored compactly when your child takes off their jacket while out and about. "We focus on comfort and convenience to create clothes that children will want to wear and that parents will want to dress their children in," says Koike.

Arch & Line's Spring/Summer 2021 collection features uplifting clothing that appeals to both the eye and the heart.

Arch & Line doesn't have a seasonal theme based on keywords, but if I had to choose one, I'd say it's clothing that inspires positivity. In today's world, where we're fighting an invisible enemy, finding it difficult to go outside, and feeling down, we focused on colors and designs that would make people happy just by wearing and looking at them.

To achieve this, we pursued a style that's somewhere between going-out clothes and loungewear, offering the ultimate in comfort and stylish fun that will brighten your mood. (Nagao)

A Bright Future for Children! Strengthening Our Environmental Initiatives

In January of this year, we launched an "Environmental Circle" on the official Arch & Line account. To ensure a better future for our children, we livestream our activities to share the many environmental issues the world faces today, such as climate change and plastic pollution, with as many people as possible.


Arch & Line has also embarked on environmentally conscious initiatives. Starting this year, in the hopes of contributing even just a little to reducing plastic usage, we switched from single-use plastic bags for clothing to reusable zip-top bags. We're also actively incorporating organic cotton, which avoids the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers to harm the soil, and hope to gradually increase our use in the future. We've also begun making efforts to limit product production to prevent waste. We've heard from customers that these efforts have motivated them to make purchases (Nagao).

Arch & Line will continue its sustainable efforts. Their Spring/Summer 2021 items are also worth keeping an eye on.

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