Naho Okamoto and freelance PR, Hiroko Eda talk about the birth and history of SIRI SIRI
2019.10.18
SIRI There are many people who have been following SIRI for over 10 years, but not many people seem to know how it all started.
How has SIRI SIRI, launched by Naho Okamoto, a designer in her twenties, grown since then? We invited Hiroko Eda, a freelance PR who can be said to be a key person in the launch of SIRI SIRI, and looked back on those days together.
Supported by encounters and relationships with people
Okamoto: It's already been 13 years since we first met. Eda-san approached me on the last day of the spiral art exhibition in Aoyama, Tokyo, which was the first SIRI SIRI exhibition.
Eda: I happened to see Mr. Okamoto sitting at the top of the stairs. "What a beautiful woman with a sense of transparency!" It was such a wonderful worldview that I couldn't help but talk to him. But maybe because he's very shy, he didn't really look me in the eye the whole time.
Okamoto: Was that so? I think that's probably because the story of "introducing the buyer" was so sudden that I couldn't understand it and was surprised (laughs).
Eda: Actually, I didn't go to the exhibition specifically looking for works. At that time, I was also planning events as PR for TOMORROWLAND and GALERIE VIE, so maybe I thought I had a story. Now that I think about it, it must have been to meet Mr. Okamoto.
Okamoto: I'm sure it is. After that, please introduce me to the buyer with whom I am still communicating.
Branch: Yes. It's not the time to record on a smartphone like now, so I showed the pamphlet I received and introduced it to the buyer, saying, ``There is a good jewelry brand, so you should definitely meet him.'' The pamphlet printed on thin paper was also very impressive, so I remember it well.
Okamoto: By the way, I still have that pamphlet.
Branch: That's right! It's nostalgic, I saw it for the first time in 13 years.
Okamoto: I made it around the age of 24 or 25, and it already has the SIRI SIRI logo on it. At this time, I put out kiriko bangles, earrings, and rattan bangles.
From design activities to being discovered by buyers
Eda: It's been updated little by little, but it's amazing that the original design is still in use today. However, at the time, the buyer said, "I want to show you the world of SIRI SIRI, so please come back when the number of items increases."
Okamoto: Yes. But I took it without leaving so much time. However, even if I was told to wholesale, I didn't know the price, so I remember asking the buyer's office to teach me how to calculate the cost, and setting the price on the spot. I think it was 5 or 6 points. Also, I was actually worried about whether it would fit TOMORROWLAND's image. There weren't any select shops dealing with glass jewelry yet, and it was completely unthinkable that people would buy products that I couldn't imagine how safe or how to wear them. As a result, at that time, he purchased several Kiriko bangles, earrings, and rattan earrings. It's a lot for me, and I'm at a loss as to how to arrange it.
Eda: TOMORROWLAND has a lot of stores.
Okamoto: That's right. When I consulted with the craftsmen who had asked me to make them, I was told that the number would be difficult. So I decided to ask the glass craftsman Toshio Yagihara (representative of Yagihara Seisakusho) to do the work. During that time, Mr. Eda asked me to issue a press release. However, the concept of the press release I wrote at that time was almost the same as the "about" on the current SIRI SIRI website.
Branch: I didn't know that! I was asked to go to your home for an interview. At the time, I was also in charge of the blog, so I asked about the concept of the brand while taking pictures of materials and books at home where I was working. There was no staff yet, so I was alone.
Okamoto: Yes. When I was still working in the interior industry.
Eda: You said that when we first met.
Okamoto: Yes. I gradually moved into design activities.
Branch: Before I knew it, GALERIE VIE started handling it.
Okamoto: Yes. If you don't know how it works, leave it to me...
Eda: But if it starts with TOMORROWLAND, it's big. I don't think they had a sense of scale or positioning, but after all, the next move would be different if it was in there or not.
Okamoto: Yes. There were many wonderful employees, and the company was relaxed and I was relieved. I think that's the corporate culture, but they treated me like a friend. After that, I will participate in a joint exhibition called rooms, which will be held at Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo. I didn't know the difference between wholesale and direct sales, so I went out as I was told. Speaking of which, when I met you, how many years had you been with the company?
Eda: About 6 years old. It was around the time when I was entrusted with various things and started to be able to pull the material, things, and people I found. But regardless of what I introduced, I think the buyer chose SIRI SIRI because he felt it would fit TOMORROWLAND perfectly. I have introduced other brands, but Mr. Okamoto was the only one who went smoothly. I guess it's the result of looking at the nature of the work and the background of manufacturing, and I think there's only room for growth.
Okamoto: Thank you. In fact, I was encouraged by the fact that I was treated at the store. Around that time, a jewelry designer who was also a wholesaler started buying the products I saw at the store. Other brands probably don't buy easily, but people in the same industry see it as something different because it's glass. Before it spread to the general public, it had become a popular brand among professionals, with exhibitors buying it at exhibitions.
Branch: That's important. Because it's easy to spread when a professional knows.
Okamoto: Now, I am often asked how to launch a brand.
Branch: That's true. There are also encounters like ours.
Passion for craftsmen cultivated in the interior industry
Okamoto: How many years did you end up in TOMORROWLAND?
Branch: Nine years. Even after you quit, you still have connections. I thought that Mr. Okamoto himself should be exposed more. That's why, even after I moved to the Attache du Press company, if there was a project that seemed good, I would invite him. It may sound presumptuous, but I feel like I grew up with Okamoto-san. When SIRI SIRI opened a pop-up shop in Isetan, I cried because I was so happy. When was that?
Okamoto: The first pop-up was about nine years ago. I felt like I was invited to participate in the exhibition at Isetan. I didn't know how to set up shifts, so I had an Isetan employee take my place for breaks, and I worked alone every day for a week.
Eda: Even though there are staff now.
Okamoto: I can't do it alone. Actually, at this time, almost no sales were made until about the third day. But one hour before the end of the last day, a foreigner who was passing by bought it like ``from right to left''. That's how we were able to reach our sales target.
Branch: Amazing! Mr. Okamoto, you get good people and encounters at each turning point.
Okamoto: Certainly, the pull of the people you meet might be strong. I'm growing up with everyone I met.
Eda: I've never worked for SIRI SIRI either, but Okamoto-san has appeared as a model in the catalog of another brand I was in charge of, so I feel like I see her regularly.
Okamoto: That's right. It's a strange coincidence that Eda-san is in charge of PR for THE YARD, which she's wearing now. Because it was a kimono brand that had been dealing with SIRI SIRI for a long time.
Eda: Thank you for your help (laughs). But I heard you said before that you wouldn't put it in a Japanese shop.
Okamoto: He certainly said something like that. There was a big trend there, and when I started SIRI SIRI, there was a general tendency to think that ``European products are better than Japanese ones.'' That's why I had the intention of blurring the background. But now it's actually the opposite, it's an era where Japan is attractive.
Eda: It's amazing that I started looking at traditional craftsmen from that time. Of course, I think I bought TOMORROWLAND, which was European-oriented, because it had a sophisticated design that wasn't just Japanese.
Okamoto: In the interior industry, from early on there was a trend toward creating products in collaboration with craftsmen. However, perhaps because everyone was not accustomed to such attempts, there were many cases in which they did not develop sales channels even if they were made. There was also resentment that the responsibility for market development was ambiguous between the designer and the craftsman, and I think it was based on the belief that the creators would not be rewarded if they did not sell their products. .
At that time, the fashion and jewelry industry was conservative, so there was still no movement to incorporate traditional techniques.
Eda: So it must have been very difficult to ask the craftsmen to do it for you.
Okamoto: But I think I'm here now because I wanted to sell it properly once I made it. If you collaborate with a craftsman, you have your own brand and sell it on your own responsibility. I was wondering if I could make it a path, so I negotiated the price even though I didn't know how to set the price.
Eda: It's difficult because we're in the era of marketing and making things. It's rare for a craftsman to enter.
Okamoto: When it comes to furniture, it's normal for the designer and the craftsman to be separate, so even if the design is the same, the antique price may change depending on the craftsman. Even a chair can make a difference of millions of dollars. I thought that with that method, I would be able to respond sincerely even if it didn't improve my status.
Eda: Because you entered the interior industry, you must have a strong feeling for craftsmen.
Okamoto: I myself like making things, but I'm not the type to mass-produce beautiful things. That's why I thought it would be better to have a craftsman make it from the beginning.
Eda: But I don't get the impression that SIRI SIRI is a mass-produced product.
Okamoto: It feels more like a kimono. I like mass production to the extent that even if I can make a lot of them, I can't make that many because I make them by hand. It's something that doesn't leave the eye of the maker and isn't too far away when it becomes a product or sells it.
always stay fresh
Eda: Actually, today, I brought a leather kiriko bangle that I bought for the first time during my PR days for TOMORROWLAND. I want to compare it with the current one. The design hasn't changed much since then.
Okamoto: Yes, depending on the item. However, craftsmen will also improve their skills if they make the same design for many years. In the past more than 10 years, lines that even craftsmen with outstanding skills could not create are becoming closer to models. The shape may change slightly, but I'm happy because I'm getting closer to the ideal at the time.
Eda: I have a lot of SIRI SIRI jewelry, and the designs I can still wear are amazing. Never stale, always clear, always fresh. I am fascinated by glass works. Large glass top necklaces (TARO HORIUCHI x SIRI SIRI Necklace STONE CLEAR), TOMORROWLAND bespoke bangles with arabesque beads and earrings are also active.
Oh yeah, when I bought square cut glass earrings about 5 years ago, they had a post that I couldn't wear because I'm allergic to metal. When I told him about it, Mr. Okamoto and the manager of SIRI SIRI at the time changed the metal and gave it to me as a wedding gift. I still cherish it and wear it on special days.
Okamoto: I'm happy to hear that.
Eda: SIRI It's difficult to express SIRI's charm in one word, but I think it's the place where you never get bored. It's fresh every time you look at it, and it's fresh even when you look at it now. New products also make me feel like "This is here!" every time. Taking on new challenges is one of them, but I think it's important for brands to have their own values and ideas. I feel that the brands that do this well have been around for a long time. And I feel that in order to sell things in the future, it is necessary to have a background story in addition to being cute and cool.
In that sense, Mr. Okamoto is taking on new challenges by linking his unique sense of values and ideas, expanding from universal forms to new designs, and never getting bored. The mix of materials is also good and stimulating.
After all, the person who suits SIRI SIRI best is Mr. Okamoto. It's convincing when you wear it. Maybe that's why I was so attracted to Mr. Okamoto himself back then. I hope that you will be stimulated overseas and become a more global woman.
Okamoto: Thank you. I hope that this article will also inspire people who want to start a new brand and jewelry designers.
Branch: Among the countless jewelry brands out there, only a few can own a stand-alone store. I think it took a lot of effort and a career to create a place where I could show my world view in this way. So anyway, I'm deeply moved. We have known each other for a long time, and we look forward to working with you again in the future.
Okamoto: Yes, thank you again.
This day's dialogue was about chasing SIRI SIRI from its origins to the present. For 13 years, I have been passionate about traditional crafts and the work of craftsmen, and have continued to move with sincerity. It may have been the sustenance for the growth of the brand, attracting wonderful encounters such as Mr. Eda.
Written by Sanae Kimura
Photo Go Itami