A Casual Touch for Formal Style

A formal bag can only be used in formal settings.

That's not the kind of bag I want to make.

But I don't want to make a casual bag either.

What I want to make is a bag that doesn't lean too far toward either side.

For example, the design is very clean and formal.

And then I deliberately pair it with a slightly casual material.

Or I add a slightly rough detail within a refined silhouette.

At first glance, these seem contradictory.

But that's exactly what I find interesting.

When you add a casual element to something formal, the formality softens a little.

On the other hand, when you add a formal element to something casual, it gains a touch of refinement.

Each one tones down the other's strength, little by little.

And then it lands in just the right place.

I think of this as "neutralization."

That's why my bags go well with a suit.

They go with a jacket.

They go with a shirt.

And of course, they go with a T-shirt and denim, too.

They don't look out of place when you take them somewhere special, and they don't feel stiff when you carry them around the neighborhood.

It's strange, but with bags like that, you don't really get the feeling that "the bag stands out" while you're carrying it.

Rather than choosing a bag to match your outfit,

it naturally blends in with who you are that day.

That's what I'm aiming for.

Of course, that doesn't mean I want to make a "safe bag" that goes with everything.

If anything, my bags have quite a lot of quirks.

The shape, the choice of leather, the stitching, the small details.

But rather than putting those quirks front and center to "show off the bag,"

I want them to be a kind of character that brings out the person carrying it.

That's my idea of a bag.

Formal or casual.

You don't have to choose one.

The right balance lies somewhere in between.

I believe that's where the fun of a bag lies.

So on days when you're dressed up.

On days when you're dressed down.

On workdays.

On free days off.

You can head out with the same bag.

And wherever you go,

you never feel like

"somehow, only this bag looks out of place."

That's the kind of bag I want to make.

That is my

theory of formal and casual.