#05 Takeshi Saito / Mizuno
Collaboration and close involvement with artists and creators is a special and important time to be creative and sincere. To empathize with their positive pride and mentality, and to listen to their voices. By bringing this to as many people as possible, WIND AND SEA is constantly evolving.
#05 is by Kenji Saito, shoe designer for Mizuno.
Designing with Purpose.
Bridging Brand Philosophy to the World.
I started doing track and field in junior high school. I think I was more suited to running than to ball games. And unlike other sports, I became interested in the fact that shoes were the only equipment I had. I think it was the same feeling as liking robots or cars. When I entered high school, I had the opportunity to train in a more authentic environment, and my motivation to compete grew. I was invited to training camps with top athletes from all over the country and had many other experiences. However, as I breathed a different atmosphere, I also saw my own limitations and began to think that I would like to do something together, not on the athlete's side, but on the support side, to be involved with and support the top athletes who are breaking all the records.
I studied architecture at university for four years. When I graduated, I thought about joining an architecture firm, but I decided that I wanted to work for an electronics manufacturer because I wanted to create things on a human scale rather than architecture, where you can't make full-scale prototypes. At that time, portable music players like the iPod were just starting to be released by different companies, and I was interested in that kind of design. I did everything myself, from designing the packaging to merchandising, every single sentence of the manual, from dealing with the factory in China to providing sales support to mass retailers. It was an experience I would live with later, but after about two years I seriously asked myself if this was what I really wanted to do, so I left the company and went to a shoe design college in Shibuya.
While I was in college, Nike Japan, which I loved, had a training program at their design studio in Nakameguro. It was as if I had enrolled in school for that reason, so I worked hard and showed my enthusiasm and was allowed to study there. After graduation, thanks to the internship I was given, a position miraculously opened up and I was able to get a job at Nike Japan.
At Nike, not only did I create several shoe and logo designs, but I also had the opportunity to work on customizing off-the-shelf products into athlete-specific footwear by measuring the foot shape and adjusting the fit. I was very happy that my high school dream of working with athletes from a support standpoint was connected here. After this experience, I was put in charge of product management for running shoes for the Japanese market.
After spending about 10 years at Nike, I joined Mizuno in 2017. Initially, I was offered a position as a designer, but when I told the executive at the interview what I had done in my previous job, I was put in charge of planning when I joined the company. Planning is a job that involves a series of processes from what is called strategic planning to product creation and sales. I was taught that this was important at Mizuno. In a company of a different size and culture, I began to think constantly about what I could do, what Mizuno's character is, and what it means to design and plan this brand. I became aware of the importance of being a designer who can approach things from both subjective and objective perspectives while chewing on the company's philosophy. Currently, I work as both a planner and a designer.
Plan, Design, and Track to the End.
That’s My Mission.
When it comes to design, I do a lot of desk work. I sketch on my computer, use the Pantone color guide to determine color schemes, and look at photo books for inspiration. I also like to spend time on the roof. I check the samples that arrive daily in the sunlight to see if they match the specified colors, take photos, and create materials for sales buyers in different countries. Including inline and collaborative projects, we plan about 100 pairs per season at any one time.
Unlike in the past, we no longer live in an era where a strong design is a big hit. With the diversification of information and the abundance of content catering to different tastes and preferences, it seems that there is no such thing as a design that can be accepted by everyone. However, there is no point in being Mizuno if there is no thick axis and it is disjointed. If we do not create something that can be accepted as fashion in this company that has been in business for 118 years, there is no point in coming here or being in this industry. That is how determined I am.
Planning and creating is like giving birth to a child. You can't bring something into the world that you're not responsible for. Unlike the world of sports, where shoes are needed to set records, in the world of fashion it is difficult to find a clear cause, and sneakers created in the self-imagination of invisible customers may be discarded if they don't sell. To reinforce the meaning of these words, we should always consider the possibility that we are creating trash. The mass consumer society is long gone. I have a responsibility to keep track of how it was supposed to sell and why it did not sell, instead of just discarding what I have created. I have a responsibility to keep track of what I have done. I do not want to be a producer of garbage.
When planning and designing collaborations, it is not healthy for it to be a one-way street or for only one side to benefit from the collaboration. Mizuno may be a latecomer to the fashion industry, but I think Mizuno's technology and philosophy are truly amazing, and we would like to continue to be unique to each other by fully utilizing our strengths in technological development that considers how short one second can be and how long one millimeter can be. How do we bring that to the consumer? I am excited about such a push.
