Bags that stand out on the street—the bags created by the bag brand Katsuyuki Kodama possess a unique presence that perfectly fits into a sophisticated street style for adults. These bags are neither high fashion nor outdoor wear, but rather resonate with a new genre known as luxury streetwear. Appearing on the scene in Autumn/Winter 2012, the brand quickly gained fans and is now sold in famous select shops in Italy, France, and China. Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building began carrying the brand in Spring 2014.


Starting February 21st, in conjunction with the "Flower Festival" promotion throughout the entire Isetan Shinjuku store, a pop-up shop will be held in the men's bag section on the first basement floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . We had the opportunity to speak with designer Katsuyuki Kodama at this time, as it will be the first pop-up shop of the year.

--I think there are some people who are hearing the name "Katsuyuki Kodama" for the first time. Could you tell us again about the brand's theme and what you value most?

What I value most is the overall presence of the bag. In English, that's "appearance." I value the beauty it has at first glance. In addition to the inherent beauty of the bag itself, I want to express the trends and atmosphere of the time. I strive to create designs that people can recognize as Katsuyuki Kodama bags just by looking at them.

—It seems like your brand became a popular brand very quickly after you launched it.

Actually, the initial stages were a constant process of trial and error, and we struggled a lot. We debuted at the "Tranoi" trade show in Paris in January 2012, and at that time we took an artistic approach using various processing techniques. But nobody paid any attention to us. The following season, we went in the opposite direction and made bags with minimal designs and as little sewing as possible. But that didn't get any attention either...

Then, in my third year, I brought the prototype of what would become the now-classic backpack, "Pack 1," and it attracted attention. Immediately, orders started pouring in from many shops around the world, as well as from the Milan showroom. At that time, the adult generation who favored high fashion were starting to shift towards street style. There weren't any bags that adults could carry that weren't too casual, and that could add a touch of luxury. I think we managed to ride that wave successfully.


—I imagine it's difficult to keep up with trends unless you're constantly on the lookout. Where do you get your design inspiration from?

In a word, it's travel. Especially overseas fashion weeks. During those times, in addition to the official programs, there are various exhibitions, so I always make sure to visit them. Buyers, designers, editors, and creators from all over the world gather there. I always get a lot of inspiration from it, and I try to pick up on trends and reflect them in my designs. I may only spend a day or two drawing the design sketches, but I spend a lot of time on research and input leading up to that point.

—I think the strength of the Katsuyuki Kodama brand lies in its ability to balance trends and design. How do you maintain this balance of quality?

Having our own factory is our biggest strength. We can do interesting things with small batches and respond quickly to changing trends. If we had to make a sample, place an order with an external factory, and wait six months for the finished product, we wouldn't be able to keep up with the fast pace of fashion these days.

--Having your own factory is impressive. How did you come to own your own factory?

I originally worked in sales and merchandising for a bag brand that was also sold at Isetan department store, but after about 7 or 8 years, the designer left. So I said, "I'll do it," and started working as a designer. I worked in sales until I was 36, and then I became a designer.

I had learned a lot about bag making by watching designers work alongside me, but I knew it was difficult, and most importantly, that we needed to establish a proper production system. At first, we had our bags made in factories in China, South Korea, and Bangladesh.


Of course, we tried it at factories in Japan, but it didn't work out. Whenever we tried to do what we wanted, we were told things like, "It's too expensive," or "We can't make it here," and it just didn't work out. We thought we had no choice but to do it ourselves, so one of the founding members, who is now the factory manager, learned how to use a sewing machine from scratch, and we started making things ourselves. We turned a room in our Shibuya office into a workshop and launched the brand.

The first time we did a pop-up at Isetan, we sold out of stock in just four days. We had to keep making and shipping, making and shipping, which was tough but rewarding. Now we've moved our factory to Tanabashi in Taito Ward, and we have more staff and a more established production system.

—Katsuyuki Kodama is also popular for its exotic leathers such as crocodile and stingray. Is the processing of these also done in your own factory?

Absolutely. Both are expensive materials, so the work is always demanding. The cutting process is particularly crucial. A mistake in cutting can lead to enormous cost losses. For example, stingray leather has two white cartilage sections called stingray hearts. These are shaved down to make it shine like marble, but if the cutting is done incorrectly, the heights of the left and right sides become uneven, making it unsaleable. The factory manager does this by hand, one piece at a time. Outsourcing would significantly increase the price, not necessarily double, but still substantial. That wouldn't benefit anyone. This is another advantage of having our own factory.


—Collaborations with brands like "Jun Hashimoto" and "Attachment" are also one of its appealing features.

Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building holds pop-up events four times a year, so designers have many opportunities to see our work. Among them, Jun Hashimoto and Attachment caught our attention. They are clothing retailers, not bag specialists. It's inspiring for us to see how they utilize their respective accumulated experience in their craft.

──What kind of pop-up shop can we expect this time?

Recently, there's been a growing trend towards personalization, with people adding unique paintwork to their bags or decorating them with charms and badges. The highlight of this event is the customization themed "Be yourself. Just for you."

We've prepared studs from Lamponi, an Italian stud supplier that's being adopted by many luxury brands. There are 12 different types, and we offer a service where customers can have them installed wherever they like. Each stud is quite expensive, so I think it's rare to see Japanese brands using them. In addition, as a special treat, we'll be offering a pre-sale of our upcoming autumn/winter collection, which was just exhibited in Paris in January.


──Finally, could you tell us about your vision for the future of Katsuyuki Kodama—what kind of brand do you want it to become?

For example, when I created "Pack 6," I wasn't satisfied after its presentation in Paris, so I remade it more than 10 times after returning to Japan. I made adjustments down to the millimeter, and I was so happy when I finally created the bag exactly as I had envisioned. And I was even happier when the customers' reactions were positive. If it's not beautiful, it won't resonate with customers. It shows up clearly in the numbers. That's why I keep remaking it until I'm satisfied.

Our exhibition is next week, and we finally finished the items we can display this week. We take our time to refine even items within the same line. For example, even with the same musician's hit song, the arrangement is different at their first live performance compared to a live performance 10 years later, right? In the same way, while creating new items, we also make sure to continuously refine our current line. We want to continue making things while being particular about beauty.