GEZELLIG, the weaving product brand
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Atelier Spica is a job support center in Sendai, Japan that employs 25 people with disabilities. In 2017, they established the GEZELLIG brand to sell woven artworks produced by employees. GEZELLIG aims to increase social participation of people with disabilities by selling their beautiful, unique textile products. The brand concept focuses on originality and comfort through bold patterns. Lot numbers help track popular designs while respecting the artists' creativity. Proceeds support employees and the goal is for society to accept diversity.
GEZELLIG, the weaving product brand
- 1. GEZELLIG the weaving product brand "What we, as a team, aim to contribute to the society" Hide Takehi From Atelier Spica in Sendai, Japan
- 2. We are in Sendai, Japan SENDAI OSAKA TOKYO
- 3. Atelier Spica ● A Job Support Centre for handicapped people, which is legally classified as “Continuous employment support office - Type B” ● We provide them the opportunities to learn the sales and production techniques and the business manner through the work. ● Almost 25 members with disability and 5 staffs are working with 25 weaving machines. ● Since 2008, we have been doing Saori weaving as well as torn yarn weaving. Also, we have been producing accessories using those textile.
- 5. Express own feeling by weaving 5
- 7. Background of brand establishment ● As of 2016, our board member started a discussion that our members with disabilities had paid extremely low because the product sales. ● Our woven artworks are so beautiful and unique that soothes people’s heart. But we could not provide it to the society so much. The texture was piled up where people in public could not see. ● This invisibility from the society means that the artists with disability don’t participate in society, it’s unacceptable from human rights point of view. ● In 2017, The brand “GEZELLIG” was established as a subsidized promotion project.
- 8. Gezellig is an untranslatable word ● It’s a Dutch word, which is an adjective that describes atmosphere, but is very difficult to translate into any other language. ● It’s not just a comfortable feeling, but also a positive and warm feeling. ● It is more than a physical comfort, but is like a pleasant feeling in the heart, like spending a day together with someone you love. ● Atelier Spica is where people creatively express their selves. "Gezellig" may be a suitable word to represent the atmosphere that is what we want to share with people.
- 9. 9 9 Weaving the Feeling “GEZELLIG” gezellig.jp
- 12. Concept of the brand, GEZELLIG ● Any of the products are unique and “one-of-a-kind”. The beauty of weaving art helps to give some accent on people’s daily fashion with own originality. ● Textile patterns woven with a bold challenge may discard the “preconceived notions”, and may bring comfort to the people in busy material world. ● This “ethical product” contributes to the social participation of people with disabilities. ● The aim is to bridge the world with relationship of “Empathy” (rather than “Sympathy”) so that people with disabilities and the others can co-exist harmoniously, healthy and sustainablly.
- 13. The Symbol Mark ● On 2007 our organization was restructured like a new departure; the entire logo resembles a sailboat in the motif of the weaving shuttle . ● The sail is depicted like two directions that represents the connection of Sendai and Tokyo, hoping the brand spread out from the local area. ● In addition, we can see a single flower when this picture is turned upside down, which symbolizes our thoughts that anyone is irreplaceable and a wonderful human being.
- 14. Tone & Manner (not to show “handicapped“) ● The impression of “handicapped” may help to have more support from people in the welfare industry, but they are not the only target. ● Our woven arts are so beautiful, we do not need to label “handicapped“ to promote the product. Also, we don’t like to sell it “with mercy" that may degrade the artwork itself. ● Our products quietly explain on the commentary so that people will know what they bought is “produced by the handicapped“ afterwards.
- 15. Tone & Manner (not to show SAORI) ● SAORI is a big name. It is well-known by so many Japanese people. By putting up the SAORI brand, it would help attracting many SAORI fans. ● But on the other hand, it would limit reaching to the main target, who doesn’t know SAORI or who haven’t been with anyone with disabilities. ● To focus on the main target, we decided not to put the name SAORI in our brand.
- 16. Increase the Salability ● The label is designed monotone to avoid to be visually obtrusive to the display of dealers’ store. ● The woven artwork is clearly visible from the box so that can be eye-catching on the shelf. ● The barcode of EAN code (European Article Number code) is placed on the back of box, to enable to use POS.
- 17. Lot Number Management ● Since each articles have different look and feel, their lot number is controlled in spite of the management cost. ● By sales tracking, we can see which weave pattern was purchased in which season and where so that we see the popular pattern and the trend. ● We feedback the tendency to the creator, although this is both good and bad. ● The good thing is that it makes easier for them to imagine the consumer's needs, and the bad thing is that it may limit their creativity by knowing it. ● As we prioritizes social participation, so we encourage their creativity within the limitation caused by the feedback.
- 18. Values per Area ● Basically, breaking the artworks into little pieces is quite disrespectful to the artists. We do not recklessly cut out a whole textile artwork. ● However, our creators know and expect new discoveries when they divide their artworks. ● Also, they are happy if the artwork is delivered to many people because of the social participation. ● For that reason, increasing the value per area is important idea on the production using artwork.
- 19. Gratitude to supporters ● Thanks to those who empathized with our activities, we have been given a lot of sales opportunities. ○ Saul Leiter’s photo exhibitions ○ The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum ○ Shimamura, a musical instrument store ○ Music festivals (Arabaki, Gama-Rock...) ○ Local festivals ... Itaru Hirama One of the famous Japanese Photographer
- 20. Future aim ● Gezellig will continue to develop and to promote products as a media that connects people with disability and the others. So that they participate in society and get closer to the social diversity. ● The stage next to the promotion of product, we would like to take another social action like the self-esteem project of Dove (Unilever), so we contribute to solve more social issues.
- 21. If Japanese society could “equip” real diversity, people in Japan would be able to live much better, I believe. The end of presentation Thank you all for this opportunity.
Editor's Notes
- #4: A Job Support Centre for handicapped people, which is legally classified as “Continuous employment support office - Type B” We provide the opportunities to learn the production techniques and the business manner through the work. Since 2008, we have been doing Saori weaving as well as torn yarn weaving, and have been producing using those textile. As of 2016, those persons with disabilities had paid extremely low because the products.
- #8: Beauty of the art works woven by Saori lovers have a unique taste that soothes the heart, which we are proud of. However, as we could not sell it so much, the texture was piled up in the workshop, resulting in problems such as poor wages and less incentive to work. The invisibility of the artwork from the public means that the artists cannot participate in society, which is unacceptable from the standpoint of disability welfare. Therefore, in 2017, there was a growing expectation that it would be sublimated into a product that would promote the independence of people with disabilities and improve the lives of able-bodied people both physically and mentally. By the help of economic subsidy, Gezellig was established.
- #9: Dutch. It's an adjective that describes atmosphere, but it's a word that's notoriously difficult to translate into Japanese. In a certain book, the meaning of "Gezellig" is "not just a comfortable feeling, but also a positive and warm feeling. It is more than a physical pleasure (feeling good), it is a pleasant feeling in the heart. It's like spending a day." We think that "Gezellig" is a suitable word to express the purity of users who are overflowing with creativity and the atmosphere of Atelier Spica, where the desire to create naturally springs out. I put it in my name.