Taking inspiration from the past to make something new has been a driving force throughout our collection. When it came to producing denim, there was no better place to start than the home of Japanese denim in Okayama. Explore more at vowels.net. Video by Koji Ueda

The debut capsule collection from vowels. Rooting our designs in a sense of nostalgia, our capsule collection featured essentials for daily wear. We took inspiration from an expansive collection of rare books and magazines to inform key design details across the collection. All pieces in the capsule collection were designed and made in Japan, led by Creative Director Yuki Yagi. Video by Koji Ueda

Rather than selecting materials solely from standard manufacturer palettes, we intentionally chose to engage with the process of material creation itself by visiting factories and production sites. By understanding how materials are produced, discarded, and reborn, we reflected these processes directly in the spatial design. Custom-made tiles produced from prototype and discarded tiles, glazed with molten slag generated through Japan’s waste treatment technology known as “melting furnaces,” were developed specifically for this project. Original washi paper mixed with domestic soil, earth walls, volcanic ash–glazed tiles, lava stone, limestone, and bio-vegan leather upcycled from wood powder produced at domestic hinoki processing facilities were also incorporated. This interior is the new flagship store of ALLU, a pre-owned brand operated by Valuence Holdings Inc., which proposes new values by encouraging secondary distribution instead of disposal. The space embodies the brand’s renewed vision through design. 本プロジェクトでは、メーカーが扱う既製品のマテリアルパレットからだけでなく、工場や生産現場に足を運び、素材がどのように作られているのか、またどのように再生され得るのかを確認しながらマテリアルを選定しています。デザイナーとして素材が生まれ、使われ、廃棄されていく背景そのものに関わることを重視しました。試作タイルや廃棄タイルを原料とし、日本のゴミ処理技術「溶融炉」によって生まれた溶融スラグを釉薬として使用した特注タイルをはじめ、国産土を使用した土壁、土を練り込んだ和紙、火山灰釉タイル、溶岩石、石灰岩、ヒノキ加工時に発生する木粉をアップサイクルした日本製バイオヴィーガンレザーなどを採用しました。これらの素材は、意匠性だけでなく、その背景やプロセスも含めて空間の一部として捉えています。 この空間は、Valuence Holdings Inc. が運営するリユースブランドALLUの新たな旗艦店として、「廃棄」ではなく「二次流通」を選択するという価値観を、空間を通して表現することを目指しました。 Client：Valuence Holdings Inc. Location：Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Space：668㎡ (1F 151㎡, 2F 221㎡, 3F 214㎡, B1F 82㎡) Completion：2024 Movie : Koji Ueda