#05 Takeshi Saito / Mizuno
#05 Takeshi Saito / Mizuno
Collaboration and close interaction with artists and creators is a special and important time that allows you to face creativity seriously. Empathize with their positive pride and mentality, and listen to their voices. By delivering it to many people,WIND AND SEAis constantly evolving.
#05 is Mizuno shoe designer Takeshi Saito.
Understand the brand philosophy
You can approach the world
I want to be a designer
I have been passionate about track and field since I was in junior high school. I think I was better suited to just running than playing ball. I became interested in the fact that, unlike other sports, shoes are the only gear. I think it was similar to how I like robots and cars. When I entered high school, I had the opportunity to receive instruction in an even more authentic environment, and my motivation to compete increased. I had a variety of experiences, including being invited to a training camp where top-class students from all over the country gathered. However, as I breathed in a different atmosphere, I began to see my own limits, and I began to think that I could do something with them, not just as an athlete, but as a supporter and supporter of top athletes who are breaking all-time records.
During my four years at university, I studied architecture. After graduating, I thought about joining an architecture firm, but I decided that I wanted to create things on a human scale rather than architecture, where I couldn't make prototypes on a real scale, so I got a job at an electrical manufacturer. At that time, portable music players such as the iPod were just beginning to be released by various companies, and I was interested in such designs. It was a company where I did everything by myself, from package design to merchandising, every single sentence in the instructions, communication with factories in China, and sales support to mass retailers. It was an experience that I would later learn, but after about two years I seriously asked myself, ``Is this what I really wanted to do?'' So I quit my job and went to a shoe design school in Shibuya.
While I was in school, I had a training program at Nike Japan's design studio in Nakameguro, which I loved. That's what I entered the university for, so I worked really hard, conveyed my enthusiasm, and was able to learn there. After graduating, thanks to the help I received during my internship, a position miraculously opened up and I was able to get a job at Nike Japan.
At Nike, I not only created several shoe and logo designs, but also took on the task of measuring foot shapes and adjusting the fit of off-the-shelf products to make them exclusive shoes for contracted athletes. I was very happy that my high school dream of ``wanting to work with players in a support role'' was connected here. After that experience, I was also assigned the role of product manager for running shoes for the Japanese market.
He joined Mizuno in 2017 after spending nearly 10 years at Nike. Initially, I was offered a position as a designer, but when I told the executives during my interview about what I had done at my previous job, I was assigned to be in charge of planning when I joined the company. Planning is the task of conducting a series of processes from formulating a strategy to how to create it and bring it to market. I was taught that this is important at Mizuno. Working within a company with a completely different size and culture, I began to constantly think about what I could do, what was uniquely Mizuno, and what it meant to design and plan under this brand. If an artist is the one who creates what they want to express, I began to realize the importance of being a designer who can approach the world while understanding the company's philosophy both subjectively and objectively. Currently, I am working in both the planning and design industries.
What was planned and designed
Track to the end
that's my mission
When it comes to design, I do a lot of desk work. I get inspiration every day by drawing sketches on my computer, deciding on color schemes from Pantone's color guide, and looking at photo albums. And I like spending time on the rooftop. I check the samples that arrive almost every day under sunlight to see if they match the specified colors, and I also take photos and create materials for sales buyers in various countries. Including inline and collaboration, we are planning about 100 pairs at the same time each season.
Unlike in the past, we no longer live in an era where you can aim for a big hit with one strong design. As information becomes more diverse and there is so much content available to suit each person's tastes and tastes, I don't think there is one design that will be acceptable to everyone. However, it doesn't have a thick shaft, and there is no point in being a Mizuno if it is separated. We are a company that has been in business for 118 years, and if we don't create something that can pass as fashion, there's no point in coming here, and there's no point in being in this industry. I continue to have that same intention.
Planning and creating something is like having a child. After all, you shouldn't release anything you can't take responsibility for into the world. In the world of fashion, where it is difficult to find a clear cause, such as in sports where shoes are needed to record records, if sneakers that are made with the imagination of a customer you cannot see go unsold, they may end up being discarded. If you want to be more aggressive, you should consider that you may be constantly creating garbage. The mass consumption society ended a long time ago. Instead of leaving what we created as is, we should think about how we should sell it, how it sold, and why it didn't sell. I am responsible for tracking that. I don't want to be the person who creates trash.
When planning and designing collaborations, it's not healthy to go one way or only benefit the other. Mizuno may have been a latecomer to the fashion industry, but I think the technology and philosophy they have cultivated is truly amazing. We develop technology by thinking about how much we can shorten a second or how much we can extend a millimeter, so by making full use of our strengths, we can continue to be unique to each other, and whether we can deliver that to consumers. I'm excited about that boost.
