Tomoyuki Kawabe: Revitalizing Regions with "Warlord Suits"

2017/12/01

"You can only show filial piety to your parents now." These words from my older brother pierced my heart, and at the age of 27, I decided to take over the family business in Osaka. The business was manufacturing and wholesaling men's clothing. The management was in dire financial straits.

During my university days, I encountered "PC communications" and became convinced that the era of the internet was coming. I launched a website in 1996 and explored starting an IT company. Utilizing these skills, I attempted to revitalize the family business by shifting from wholesale to retail. In November 1999, I opened a store on Rakuten Ichiba. The store name was "Novia Novio" (meaning "Groom and Bride" in Spanish). It is an apparel shop specializing in formal wear such as tuxedos.

However, for two years, there were almost no sales. My father mocked me, asking, "Is this just a hobby?" and I suffered deeply. Things took a turn for the better when my wife, unable to stand by and watch, started helping me. Sales gradually rose, and in 2005, we achieved monthly sales of 10 million yen.

Next, I opened directly managed retail stores in Umeda, Osaka, and Omotesando, Tokyo, but initially, I struggled here as well because sales wouldn't increase. Then, a colleague from an internet utilization study group reached out, suggesting, "Why don't you try writing a blog?" I started it with some skepticism, and to my surprise, sales quadrupled! It was truly thanks to my colleagues. This experience made me want to help other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in similar situations.

In 2013, I learned about crowdfunding (CF) and launched "FAAVO Osaka" to operate a CF platform jointly with colleagues from my study group. CF is a method where you post your dreams or projects on the web and collect small amounts of funding from people who empathize with them. Wanting to revitalize Osaka through CF, I made an unannounced visit to then-Tennoji Ward Mayor Mizutani. The mayor welcomed me warmly and suggested, "Could you make a men's suit based on Sanada Yukimura?" as part of the 400th-anniversary town revitalization project for the Siege of Osaka.

Sanada Yukimura is known for the Rokumonsen (six coins) family crest. I turned this Rokumonsen into a suit brand, using six sleeve buttons. Inspired by Sanada's "Red Battalion," I used red for the lining. Businessmen are modern-day samurai. When I launched a CF campaign with the concept of "Let's go to battle wearing a Sanada Yukimura suit," I raised a total of about 2.5 million yen from 50 people across Japan who said, "I've been waiting for a suit like this." I now lecture in various regions because I want more SMEs to utilize CF. I hope to continue revitalizing regions through activities that spread the use of crowdfunding.