niime 百科

Encyclopedia of niime

As represented by the shawls, tamaki niime’s work of art has been widely loved because of the expression of the freedom; free from limitation of age, gender or body shapes to wear.

With a variety of staff gathering in Shop and Lab; creates the ideal environment for creations, the possibility of different works is beginning to grow. This style allows each staff member to bring a wealth of ideas and synergises their advanced abilities.

“I should not be the only one who pursues colours and shapes of design. All of our staff have to be creative”, Tamaki said. I asked her about the agenda for encouraging new creations.

Tamaki

“Here is our new agenda… well, I used to dye threads, line up the colours and weave them by myself. I was able to imagine the finished concept inside of my head because I created the item from dyeing, but now that particular process is split. For example, some staff focus on dyes. Our ‘creative baton’ then has to be handed on to the next group. We can’t create more exciting works of art unless we have a strong bond.

-How do you share or discuss the image between the staff?

Tamaki

We focus on it right now. We carefully discuss concepts, like requesting colours or changing here and there clearly to make exciting new creations. Because I would like to focus on designing shapes, and also a variety of colours that I have not created before. I want to develop unique variations.Synergistically, I hope each staff becomes an ‘individual creator.’

Sakai

In a sense, it is an experiment.

Tamaki

What we are trying to change now is that making a well-organised team or group which can always be creative. Our hope that if they have an inspiration, that they should go for it. Currently, they are still focusing on producing rather than creating.So I really want to change and establish this agenda this year.

– The most significant theme of this year, right?

Tamaki

Yes. We told our staff including salespersons and part-time workers to turn in an assignment or something like a presentation for each week; writing an idea on a piece of paper about colours, shapes, design or pattern about ‘something each one hopes to have’. Then the design team considers which one should be made as a sample and start creating. That’s how we begin with our new creations. I don’t want to make a large amount of new designs simply because a new season has come. It starts with our new ideas, and the goal is reached when we complete our creation. That’s when the presentation of a new collection comes. No time limitations or anything. We may create ten different things at the same time or only make one in a whole month. We prefer not to make deadlines just to get things done but to create, bursting with inspiration. That’s how our team supposed to work. Actually, we used to set a deadline and were eager to complete by a particular time of the year. For example, we used to schedule to complete the autumn/winter collections by May. Since we changed our system, we can make new designs all through the year. So we don’t use assembly lines in full. 20% of the looms and knitting machines are for preparing samples. We have decided to leave one of the looms specifically to weave new creations to add different coloured threads. New creations are promoted simultaneously with the existing ones.

– You made a system where the ‘tamaki niime’ team can be a ‘creative experiment’.

Tamaki

“Our shop is an experimental facility. For example, we put ten of our newer works of art out at our shop. How do the customers react? How do they feel? What kind of impressions do they have? We can see whether they like it or not. They may not like it, or they may love it. From the time the idea was first born, we create, display the creation at our shop, and then get feedback from customers. That’s a whole series of our experiment. Based on the findings of our research, we’ll decide if we make improvements, make them more interesting, or make more because they are so good. In pursuit of better creations, newer works will come forth.
The individual who created the idea, from paper to concept is the ‘birth parent’ essentially. That is the starting line. Maybe they will not be good at sewing, so other staff members become part of the process, like a relay race. Handing the baton from one staff to another until we reach the goal. We all work together to get the baton to the finish line. Then, this leads to the next idea. (To Sakai) This kind of amazing creative process would be interesting. That’s we were talking about.

(Sakai nodded.)

– Is Tamaki herself in a position similar to a general director?

Tamaki

“I think I have to write my idea on paper as well. I’m not an exception. I write my intention to turn in at the design meeting. I can’t make a special order item. When my idea turns down, I’m sad; however, I try again. Heh… It is because we have more customers, young and old, male and female, coming to our shop and we have staff members from teens to sixties. Each individual prefers different things, right? It is essential to analyse what ages our customers are, and how they want to spend their money to buy their favourite goods, and write that down in order to discuss.

Sakai

“All the staff brings their rough ideas, and devises an algorithm, processes the concept together and then creates them. Then we will get feedback about our creations at our shop. We will examine it and make use of it in our next creation. If we can get this in motion, it must be fun. Well, we used to do this process by ourselves. I mean Tamaki and I. But it must be fun if every single staff can get involved and they are willing to do so.
The creations that Tamaki and Sakai have been working on together is loved by everyone whoever wears them. In addition to this, the new creation that we started will draw out the abilities of each staff member and face the preferences of each generation and each customer. Now, let me ask Mutsumi Tamaki (mainly in charge General Affairs) and Naoko Fujimoto (who is in charge of knitting, etc.) about this new creation system that we are working on as a whole ‘tamaki niime’ team.

Fujimoto

“We have just started this new system. We used to make one size fits all for anyone to wear. We also tried to create similar designs that also fit that idea. This year, however, we are trying to design separately. For example, designs for big people or designs for small people. When we can focus on a target, we can have more natural designs.”

– It seems that the fact the age group of staff has become more extensive is also related to the direction of production.

Fujimoto

“For example, the staff at the age of 20s has a certain point of view which our generation doesn’t have. So it seems that our creative concepts have grown wider.”

Tamaki

“It is good to think about an idea to simulate the tastes of same generation-customers. Also, it is interesting to have a different point of view for target customers, because they are different from you. We are trying to make different designs and work of art that we have never created before with no limitations and combinations of, focusing on the idea of different points of view.

Fujimoto

Exactly. It is a unique strength of ‘tamaki niime’ that we can be flexible and quickly respond to the right people in the right place. “

– When our new experiments are finished, they are immediately displayed at the shop, so that we can quickly gauge the customer’s reaction.

Fujimoto

“So we have to be quick and flexible, but if we can do that, it is really …” invincible.

– Because Shop & Lab is unique, as soon as the response from the customer comes back, it can be reflected in manufacturing as quickly as possible.

Fujimoto

“Both staff who produced the idea and those who made it, would be worried and will check with the shop.”

– Will it become a work of art that everyone works on together?

Tamaki

“Since we have just started up, it takes time to go through the trial and error process, but I think that it is also possible to immediately realise that the idea that came out at the meeting if you get used to flow of the process. What we are working on now is a mechanism that can just keep going, so if we do not have a deadline, we will put it out from time to time as it is complete. In some cases, it will be no longer possible to do no matter how many months there are, as things are like that at times.

Fujimoto

We are going to do both; keeping items adequately stocked for each season, as well as working on ideas for new creations every month. It is pretty versatile.
Well (laugh), that’s how we are.

Integrating the abilities that the staff possesses and then making the most of the environment which coexists with Shop & Lab while creating products that evolve more actively, ‘tamaki niime’ will tack a new course with a constantly innovative spirit that always looks to be ahead of the times.

Original Japanese text by Seiji Koshikawa.
English translation by Adam & Michiko Whipple.

Original Japanese text by Seiji Koshikawa.
English translation by Adam & Michiko Whipple.