Hideyuki Why you reached out to me, even though I am not in the business of making products.

Akira I’ve known you for about 20 years, so first of all, I know your personality well. And for this project, it wasn’t just about creating superficially beautiful designs; we needed to think about how to use the fabric, how to incorporate it into the products with limited material, and we needed to think through the process carefully to design it properly. I believed that with you, we could bring you our problems, and come through with a solution together, and see it through to the end.

Hideyuki My usual work involves discussing and creating from a structural perspective rather than just designing something decoratively. This time, it wasn’t just about thinking of patterns; we discussed conditions like how many meters of fabric were left and what types of fabric were available. The initial meeting, went very well.

Akira When we had the first meeting at Daibutsu Laboratory, the design was almost finalized!

Hideyuki Yes, indeed it was. Usually, in graphic design, there’s a theme but with conditions, and we solve them. But this time, I could relate to the project’s origin, so it was a more smoother process. It was rewarding to work on a product that conveyed your philosophy.

Initially, we got a list showing how many meters of each color fabric were available. I intuitively understood that we needed to start by understanding this. Regarding the design, we considered the size of the blanket and decided on five parts to allocate the fabric. As I sketched it out, I saw mountains at the top and a path at the bottom, creating a road. The idea of Yamatomichi “mountains and path” emerged naturally.

The fabric itself stretches quite a bit, which adds to its comfort, but we were also concerned about excessive stretching. By designing it as a pattern, the sewing process helped control the stretch. The thematic graphic of “mountains and paths” aligned well with the functionality it brought.

Akira What was particularly challenging for you?

Hideyuki I think the most challenging part was breaking down the surplus fabric lengths into usable pieces, kind of like solving a puzzle for the five parts. We had to figure out how many pieces we could get from each fabric and then list the color combinations.

Akira That sounds like a headache! (laughs)

Hideyuki It felt more like solving a puzzle than designing, to be honest! (laughs).

Akira　How did you feel when you saw the finished product?

hideyuki During the first sample, having two layers of fabric made it slightly stiff and heavy, right? We initially thought of using two layers for the sewing process, but we found out that we could sew it flat with just one layer. When we tried it with one layer, it became lighter, fit the body better, and the fabric felt nice against the skin. It draped well and felt comfortable to wear, which was great.

Regarding the design, we ended up with nine variations based on the surplus fabric distribution. As a result, we achieved a wide range of designs, from vibrant ones with yellow and blue to more subdued ones with gray. This variety adds to the visual appeal, and it’s heartwarming to see.

Akira It has a great presence, doesn’t it? Just spreading it out makes you happy. We’ve had prototypes made and used them for about 1-2 months. What are your thoughts?

Hideyuki I’m based in both Tokyo and Naha, so there’s a temperature difference. Sometimes I wear it over my shoulders while working. In Okinawa, people often wear shorts, but when it gets a little cooler, I wrap it around my waist or use it as a knee blanket. Also, it feels nice to lightly drape it over when I want to lie down for a bit.

Akira The reason behind the creation of the scarf was also interesting, wasn’t it?

Hideyuki Yes, it was also a coincidence. When we first verified the size of the blanket, the width we decided on was slightly narrower than the standard fabric width. So, we ended up having some leftover strips, which happened to be suitable for a scarf in terms of length. Since a scarf benefits from being double-layered for thickness, it was eventually created as a design combining colors on both sides.

Akira In any case, we used up everything! (laughs) The texture of the merino wool is really nice, so when you wear it or wrap it around, it feels incredibly comfortable. I really hope people give it a try.