Around Beauty Meetup #12: The uniqueness that only he can depict, and there is beauty that can only be colored by you
2022.09.12“Around Beauty Meetup” is a gathering of various beauty-related innovators from inside and outside the company. This year’s event, which is the 12th, was held under the theme of "What is Normal? Accepting differences and making products that make the most of individuality." Fumito Matsuda of the experimental welfare unit "Heralbony" was invited as a guest speaker to deepen the discussion on how to make the most of individuality and manufacturing products.
fibona member Tomonori Toyoda kicked things off with an opening speech. Regarding the concept of the Around Beauty Meetup, Toyoda started by saying that "there is no correct answer to the future beauty. I want you all to take this opportunity and connect it to your work and challenges from tomorrow."
During the ice breaker, participants shared "things that have excited them recently." The Meetup moved on to Mr. Matsuda's presentation, with interesting cultural and environmental differences in the comments made by participants from overseas.
“Not a single person in this world is disabled." My brother taught me how to see individuality
Heralbony’s origin lies in the existence of a four-year-old brother with congenital intellectual disability and autism. Having been in daily contact with his brother's characteristics since before he can remember, Mr. Matsuda could not tolerate other children pointing and laughing at people with disabilities. The essay he wrote in the fourth grade, "People with disabilities are human beings, too," remains with him to this day.
Now that he become an adult, Mr. Matsuda chose not to shout, "Don't judge people with disabilities," but to instead create many points of contact between people with disabilities and society through art and other means. He explains, "Heralbony creates the opportunity to change the image and concept of people with disabilities in a gradational way."
The first company they approached for collaboration was Ginza Taya, one of Japan's leading luxury necktie manufacturers. Stemming from a memory he had of leather goods made by a disabled person's brother at a welfare facility and sold at a roadside station at a low price, he thought, "I want to create a future where their work is tailored to their individuality," so he went to them directly and asked for their cooperation.
Currently, Heralbony offers not only neckties, but also a variety of other products and has pop-up stands in department stores nationwide. If the works of Heralbony artists become a natural part of our daily lives, it will change the way parents communicate with their children about disabilities. Once children understand, the way they treat their classmates with disabilities will change. Mr. Matsuda is convinced that society as a whole will eventually be connected to the earth.
Developing an art license system so that "different colors" can spread their wings
With the enactment of the Law on the Promotion of Cultural and Artistic Activities by Persons with Disabilities (Law No. 47 of 2018) in 2018, the number of welfare facilities engaged in art activities is increasing nationwide. However, the national average wage for Type B continuous employment support is said to be around 164,000 yen per month, and in reality, many people have difficulty achieving even that amount. Heralbony has signed an art licensing agreement with them and is operating and maintaining a facility in order to create more opportunities for "different colors" to spread their wings.
Specifically, Heralbony manages the copyrights of the contract artists' artwork. In collaboration with companies, they incorporate high-resolution art data into objects, things, and places. The company has already signed contracts with 37 welfare facilities in Japan and abroad, and 153 artists, generating touch points with society in a variety of places, including hotel suites, canned food labels, and temporary enclosures at construction sites.
For the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, artists from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima decorated the projection mapping curated by Heralbony.
Heralbony does not use the words "support" or "contribution," but sees artists with disabilities as business partners. The company has expanded its business through collaboration with facilities and companies that resonate with this idea. When a work by artist Kiyoshi Yaegashi, who has Down's syndrome, decorated a train station building in his hometown of Hanamaki, the newspaper reported him as a "local artist.” They could have headlined it "Disabled Artists" or "Railroad Company Supports," but the word "disability" was not in that headline. Even a single word has great significance.
The founder of Heralbony is my older brother," Mr. Matsuda says. The company name "Heralbony " was taken from a mysterious word their older brother had written in the corner of a notebook when he was in elementary school, but when asked what it meant, he replied, "I don't know.” It is often the case that what a person with a disability finds "interesting" in his or her mind is not well verbalized. He concluded his presentation by saying, Heralbony's role is to put that into language.
The next generation of manufacturing requires "clear eyes" and "an abundance of heart”
In the second half, Masako Watanabe, who is involved in sustainability promotion at the Brand Value Development Group, and Motoki Okoshi, who is involved in exterior development at the Brand Value Development Group, joined the panel session, which was moderated by Yusuke Makino of fibona.
Recent purchasing behavior shows a trend toward seeking what fits one's needs over brand value. Makino asked Matsuda, who is engaged in distinctive manufacturing, "What do you think is an important perspective for manufacturing in the future? "
Mr. Matsuda presented a case study of a credit card desinged by Heralbony. The card is so popular that the enrollment rate is running at 280% of the expected rate. He pointed out that the card was chosen not only because of its sensible design, but also because 0.1% of the amount spent is returned to welfare projects. "It's not just about being sustainable, it's about enriching yourself," he said.
Watanabe, who learned about Heralbony from this meetup, said she was genuinely charmed when she saw their website without any prior information, and confided that she had noticed that she had been caught up in the word “disability”. “Perhaps it is important to see things from a clearer perspective,” she said, reaffirming the need for subjectivity in a positive sense.
On the other hand, Okoshi, who is in charge of exterior development for luxury brands in his daily work, commented, “I was thinking exactly what is required besides to glitz and glamour.” In response to the credit card case study, he accepted the social change as something close to home, saying, "The next step in manufacturing should be different from what it is now.”
Sustainable co-creation that creates added value through "resonance" with the creator
The topic of the talk then turned to collaboration with the creator. Imagining a collaboration with Shiseido, Mr. Matsuda asked, "What kind of expression do you think would be possible if the heralbony design were incorporated into the packaging?” In his first remarks, Okoshi confirmed an important point: "What Heralbony is looking for is not to draw sympathy," and emphasized that the approach must be carefully designed to genuinely appeal to the quality and attractiveness of the product as a product.
Watanabe also praised Heralbony's pursuit of uncompromising perfection in all its creations, but pointed out from the perspective of manufacturing, which requires mass production, how maintaining that quality and policy may be a major issue.
In response to their comments, Matsuda said, "We are just now realizing the importance of taking responsibility for the output, not just the work or the license.” He said that if he were to manufacture products on his own, he would naturally be able to produce what he wanted, but that it is Heralbony's job to think about "how it will be communicated to society if we work with other companies, and how that will change the way people with disabilities look at them.”
Heralbony is involved in collaborations with a wide variety of companies, but what are the key points and particularities of these collaborations? Mr. Matsuda replies, "The only thing that matters to me is whether or not I can resonate with them. "
He assured the audience that he would never lend or borrow only licenses or data for money, and added that he always obtains the consent of the artists and welfare facilities before proceeding, even if it takes time.
Matsuda said that although the process could be made as efficient as possible, it is the importance of the process that keeps the company going. Watanabe responded, “I guess that's what sustainability is all about.”
Two or three out of 40 customers who resonate with the creator are changing society
Watanabe continued, "We at Shiseido are a company that focuses on manufacturing products that thoroughly pursue the way customers receive them. I sense a strong desire on the part of the maker to create things in Heralbony, but how do you view the desire on the part of the customer?" she asked.
Mr. Matsuda explained about Heralbony's manufacturing process. "If I were to use an analogy, I would say that we aim to create something that sticks with two or three people in a group of 30 to 40 people.” Even if the target audience is limited, they are certainly sending the message to people who agree and sympathize with them. He added, "That said, we aim to design our business in such a way that we can deliver to a total of 20 to 30 people by developing our business in a diversified manner." Although this policy is in stark contrast to the way Shiseido operates, Watanabe commented with high expectations, "Because of the contrast, I think we will gain new insights if Shiseido and Heralbony collaborate."
Regarding the future of Heralbony, Mr. Matsuda responded that he would like to conceptualize heralbony in the future. The presence of Heralbony's products creates a touch point, and makes it easier for people with disabilities to live and participate in society. The grandiose declaration, "We aim to change the very way people with disabilities live," seemed to be not no pipe dream, considering the many words spoken at the meetup.
What can you do from tomorrow? First, get to know others and find their charm
Mr. Matsuda's presentation was well received by the participants and was more exciting than ever. One of the participants was surprised at the difference between Heralbony and Shiseido's approach to “monozukuri”, and seemed inspired, saying, "Now that we are celebrating our 150th anniversary, perhaps it is time for Shiseido to return to our own spirit and take up the challenge of monozukuri with enthusiasm."
Finally, Yuko Nakanishi, leader of fibona, summed up the meetup. She quoted a passage that particularly impressed her: "Being out of the ordinary is also a possibility," and added, “Many people think of themselves as ordinary people, but at the same time, they also think that there are some things that are out of the ordinary, and they sometimes wonder what individuality is.” She closed the meetup with the following words of encouragement: "I am sure that the participants gained many insights into what individuality is, what luxury will be in the future, and what monozukuri means, and I am sure that they will make use of these insights in their work from tomorrow.”
What is normal? What is my specialty? After this meetup, I thought about this again. What is wonderful about Mr. Matsuda and Heralbony is not only that they do not devalue anyone's individuality, but also that they can find someone's often-overlooked charm. In order to recognize differences as individuality, we should start by looking around us and getting to know others better.
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