January 2014

New Year’s Meeting at Rikuzentakata

In January 2014, I visited the Tohoku Grandmas  in Rikuzentakata. It was their first working day in the new year and we celebrated this special occasion wishing each other a fruitful and successful year.

I was touched by their invitation for lunch where they served  a typical Japanese dish. We enjoyed the time together  and I was happy to exchange about our family lives.

Since my visit in Rikuzentakata back in summer 2013, the Tohoku Grandmas achieved a remarkable improvement of their efficiency in producing orders.  The Year 2013 was a very fertile year for our collaboration.

The Grandmas produced towards 2000 articles which were ordered internationally.

For 2014, I brought along some new ideas for more products. We discussed our notions in details during the meeting. Each time I meet the Grandmas, I  am very impressed how creative they are in finding technical solutions for the production of new items. They love devellopping new designs, too. For me as a fashion designer, it is such an enrichment to share their inspiring knowledge about traditional Japanese handcraft.

This year is the 150th anniversary of diplomatic and friendship relations between Japan and Switzerland. We will keep you posted about our promising new products that are coming soon in 2014!