Column | Visiting a production studio in Kyoto
At 6:24 in the morning, the Shinkansen train departing Shin-Yokohama was a unique experience, with a few businessmen on their way to business trips and families excited about going on vacation boarding the train.
On this day, I went to "Kyoto" alone to rediscover the value of "T-shirts". I transferred to a private railway from Kyoto Station and arrived at "JAMMIN" about an hour later. Fresh air was gently passing through the clouds and blue sky that still held the vestiges of summer.
After a little chat, I was guided to the place where each piece of clothing is infused with value. I was greeted by a row of printing tables with ink soaked into the base, as if to tell the story of the thin Run & Beer Tee fabric.
Yes, many of the popular T-shirts from Runtrip Store are printed one by one in this studio in Kyoto. The inks are carefully mixed to bring out the best synergy between the color of the fabric and the color of the print, silently telling us about the handmade craftsmanship.
The main business of "JAMMIN" is selling T-shirts that are created in collaboration with NPOs and other organizations that tackle social issues on a weekly basis. People with disabilities work in the cafe attached to the production studio, and the vegetables they grow in the farm behind the studio stimulate the five senses.
The world of "Showa" and "Heisei" has been established as a binary choice. "Rich" or "poor". "Winners" or "losers". In between such black and white worlds, there is a vast grey area. In the current era, the "culture" and "craftsmanship" that we at La Trip aim to create will pursue the "true richness" of the mind and body, even as we are buffeted by the waves of such gradations. In the "richness" we felt in Kyoto, we could not help but feel a hint of the world we should create in the next 10 to 20 years.
The prints are printed by hand one by one, giving them a unique texture. In fact, the print position varies slightly depending on the T-shirt, which gives each one its own unique character. When you see the new T-shirts stacked up, you can't help but feel his individuality.
We left Kyoto with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that we would deliver the spirit that was infused into the city of Kyoto to all of you.