Roger Ong
CoronaChampions is a new interview series exploring how Japanese sustainable organizations and brands are meeting the challenges from the coronavirus threat head on.
Can you tell us about what TSUNAGU does?
At TSUNAGU, we carry out product design, product development, event planning, platform design etc. with the aim of promoting ethical fashion, especially to the next generation.
We also have a product collaboration with Tokushima’s aizome (indigo dyeing technique) under the original brand TSU.NA.GU. The concept involves:
- Made to Order (products made only upon ordering);
- Being involved throughout the production process; and
- Open disclosure of price breakdown (to which we offer three different prices).
The collaborations are on an irregular basis.
We are a diverse team of ethical fashion designers, planners, investors, IT managers, students etc. We also currently have experienced people support the management side, while the young members are in charge of design and planning freely.
With TSUNAGU’s unique business model, are you affected by the coronavirus pandemic?
The fashion industry has been hit hard by the new coronavirus pandemic. The most difficult situation that these companies face is how they have many physical stores and inventories. Subcontractors that do business with them are also in a pinch.
TSU.NA.GU. has no physical stores, and has no stock. Since all of us are working this as a side job in the first place, we are not affected by it.
However, we can no longer conduct events, which has limited our opportunities to promote our work. Therefore it is a good opportunity to take our time to reflect on our future path.
Seems like the Made to Order model is ideal in dealing with such crises! Do you think more brands will start thinking about using this model?
As a matter of fact, I had the idea to promote a Made to Order platform stemming from the awareness for sustainability. It’s not only for TSU.NA.GU., but also for the various fashion brands. It will be a system that uses the latest 3D design technology to quickly and efficiently process orders from customers and produce only the required orders without excess.
In the future, owning a lot of physical stores or inventory is risky in situations where there is no clear route for progress. So I think the focus will shift to how to sell clothes while reducing ownership. With that, I think brands will increasingly choose the Made to Order model.
I am also involved in other Made to Order brands. They have good cash flow, and I can see nothing other than benefits to using that model. Therefore I would like to create a system where many ethical fashion brands can benefit from the Made to Order model too.
Can anyone adopt the Made to Order model easily?
Often, the follow-up question is what industries upstream of the supply chain should do. They often have secured inventory, such as fabric and attachment shops. I think it is difficult for them to produce immediately upon receiving orders.
However, if downstream brands can adopt the Made to Order model, risks are reduced for the industry as a whole. Furthermore, since fabric and attachment shops are easily accessed for secondary use, I think it is important to consider the mechanisms of secondary use for inventory.
I suppose technology will evolve to enable AI-based inventory management that creates zero waste.
Which is what you are trying to achieve with a new platform.
I can take time to plan such a platform right now, and am proceeding through various trial and error. In the future, it’s a risk hedge by not owning as much as possible, so I will not proceed like how conventional startups try to scale.
Every day I’m thinking about how to carry out this project with the limited resources available, with the least burden, making it easy to use, and still fun to create.
Do you think we will view fashion differently in a post-coronavirus world?
I think it will change completely.
The coronavirus divides the world, yet at the same time we get to visualize our connections. Surely many of us have realized how connected we are to one another, no matter good or bad. From the virus that spreads from person to person, to how products do not reach a country due to lockdowns, we witnessed how we are not separate from society.
Because of that, I think people will begin to make choices, while being more conscious of spirituality and connections. For example, understanding that it’s not just simply about design, but also about the production background. Or focusing on who the seller is. Or valuing the texture of the materials used.
I think only brands that can build strong partnerships with the environment, manufacturers and customers will survive. In that case, we’ll see more local production for local consumption. There will be an increase in the number of smaller and more diverse brands, more variety will appear design-wise, and fashion will become very fun.
Many people will be freed from the stereotypes of the previous era, and the new era will become more and more liberated. Fashion is one of the most disconnected industries in the global industry, but I would like to take up the responsibility in freeing everyone’s hearts by changing fashion itself.
That is certainly a positive thought, especially in such times!
Many of us are suffering in various aspects, but the dawn of an era is just around the corner. Precisely in times such as this we must have hope, by clarifying again the kind of life we want to live, and live freely!
(The interview continues in part 2, with another sustainable brand, Liv:ra!)
