colorsshowsnewspeopleplacesshopstrends

Candies
is a new product by Oracle Gifts Japan. It looks like a pretty funky mask, but it’s actually an iPhone case. The product will be released from October and costs about JPY 2,800 in Japan. By the end of the year, Candies will also be sold in the USA, Europe and Hong Kong. Candies are made of silicon so they are both soft to the touch and friendly to your health.

HAMAGURI
are room socks produced by Tokyo based Nagai Co. Ltd, a company founded in 1920 producing socks. Nagai has been making HAMAGURI since 1955, but this is the first time they make them with designs and patterns. The designs are based on two themes, world trip and fairytale. Each pair is handmade in Nara prefecture. The room socks will go on the market from October.

Eine Lilie
was started by Kaori Katsurada and Kai Isurugi, two young female designers. Their company creates accessories and leg wear. Their new line of leg wear has designs based on the themes of a laboratory (pills, fake teeth, anatomical pictures) and optical illusions. One set of tights has windows for example, while another one has a designs that turns out to be faces.

BUChy
creates bags from the material used for making balls. Designer Minami Yamaji grew up in Hiroshima and decided last year to collaborate with famous Hiroshima based ball maker MIKASA. Their balls were used for the official volleyball and beach volleyball events of the London Olympics (2012). Excited by the news that Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics, she spent the past few days creating new bags with an Olympic theme (see the last photo in the series). She’ll be busy for the next seven years!

SINK.
is designer Sayaka Anai’s new brand. She graduated only about a year and a half ago and launched SINK this April. Anai’s amazingly cute bags are not in stores yet, but can be ordered online at her personal site SINK. She doesn’t speak English, but smiling shyly she explains she will do her best when a customer from abroad contacts her.

pokefasu
is the brand name for the wonderful accessories created by designer Junichi Chiba. He mainly makes brooches, but also creates rings, hair bands and even display objects. Although his creations are full of humor, Chiba himself is actually incredibly serious and barely even smiles during the interview. “It’s that gap between the humor of my creations and my serious personality that’s interesting,” he explained.

proef
is a brand we first introduced exactly a year ago. Proef makes tights with awesome geometric designs. Starting next Spring, proef is also offering shoes under the brand names Curvy and loper, the latter is Dutch for walker. Curvy features curved heels made of leather, while loper distinguishes itself for not using any nails or glue, the whole shoe is put together with a nylon rope.

U-DOT
is the very playful shoe brand of designer Takumi Inomata. He started his brand only last year, but his shoes are already sold in Italy, Russia and the States besides Japan. His minimalist designs are both for women and men and use an amazing range of colors. You can order your own (water proof) material and color. Some of his designs are rather quirky, just as we like it at JAPANESE STREETS.

H. S. Equipment
is the new unisex brand of Tokyo based CLOUD NINE. Their first (Spring/Summer) collection will reach stores early next year. Initially, the brand is only available in Japan. But, it will later be exported to Europe and the US. Designer Norihide Koji likes the 1920’s and that inspiration is clearly visible in his otherwise timeless yet nostalgic designs.

SOWA
is the brand of designers Yugo and Aica. Started in 2006, their designs are sold at Lamp Harajuku and two other small shops in Tokyo, as wel as several shops outside Tokyo. Unfortunately, they don’t sell outside Japan yet. SOWA’s designs are all hand-made and follow a concept of fantasy and rock. Although their designs look like they would attract especially young people, their customer base has a wide range of ages. “We are expensive,” says Yugo to explain this wide attraction. SOWA was my favorite brand today, so I took some extra photos.

Designers Aica and Yugo

And some general images of rooms:

Get your picture drawn by an artist in a bath tub…