Interviewees:
- MYKITA from Germany - One of the world’s leading eyewear designer with excellent designing skills. All their frames are 100 % handmade.
- Mr. Hironori Kishi, CEO of MonkeyFlip, ASANOYA Co. Ltd. from Aichi prefecture in Japan - With their special plastic injection molding technique, they have made Aichi the new area of production of eyewear.
I would like to begin an interview with MYKITA.
(Interviewer Chiharu Nishiura, IOFT Show Management)
Chiharu:
MYKITA, please tell me about your brand.
MYKITA:
MYKITA was brought to life by 4 founding fathers; Harald Gottschling、Daniel Haffmans、Philipp Haffmans、 Moritz Krueger. The brand name was inspired by our company building. Before MYKITA, the building was used as a nursery in the past, which in East Germany is called “KITA”. Distinguished skills and continual innovation are the fundamentals of the MYKITA brand and established a unique fusion of art and technology. Transparent, one of a kind brand, that is what MYKITA is.
 |
| MYKITA |
Chiharu:
I see. It is so clear that all your eyewear portrays the MYKITA style. Not only by its stylish visuals, but also the skills behind it.
MYKITA:
Yes, that is why we are different from other eyewear manufacturers. Our eyewear are all 100% handmade and all the vital steps such as designing, marketing and manufacturing are concluded under one roof.
Chiharu:
Impressive! Everything is produced and managed by your company…that must be the secret to how you maintain the high quality of your products. Could you introduce some of your wonderful frames to us?
MYKITA:
Sure, this is a collaborative work between MYKITA & BERNHARD WILLHELM.
 |
| DAISUKE |
It is a line of sunglasses called DAISUKE (pastel black, green, gold coating)
It certainly is the birth of an eyewear that explores the definition of sunglasses. It is a hybrid between traditional style and a practical sun visor. It is like a sporty head accessory. The frame stretches from the edge to the center of the nose so when you wear it, it covers the face with a very fresh pastel colour and certainly is an eyewear that floats and spreads in front of your face. Black is used for the frame and the colour used for the hinge creates a formal look. The frame is made from MYLON and is very light. It has a good fitting feeling and has great elasticity. The selling price is JPY 47,250. We also have a completely new MYLON line too.
Chiharu:
It’s so different! I have never seen a shape like this before in my life! I am so stunned! The buyers will definitely be drawn and surprised by the new style.
Your company has continually exhibited at IOFT many times in the past. Could you kindly share your reason for exhibiting?
MYKITA:
IOFT is a great place to meet many retailers and buyers and we value that very much. We hold a booth at all the world class exhibitions such as SILMO, MIDO and of course IOFT, to share our vision and work to many people as possible. We want existing and new customers to experience what we try to express through our work and spread it to their customers so more people are able to enjoy it. That’s why we continue to exhibit at IOFT.
Chiharu:
Thank you very much. Who do you wish to meet at this year’s show?
MYKITA:
Optical, overseas, apparel any and every kind of buyer. Please feel free to come to our booth to experience the world of MYKITA. We look forward to your visit.
Chiharu:
Thank you so much for your time. I’m sure your booth will be overflowing with buyers as always. We look forward to seeing you again at the show and good luck with your preparation.
I would now like to introduce Mr. Kishi from MonkeyFlip, ASANOYA Co. Ltd. with a very unique style.
***
Chiharu:
Mr. Kishi, Welcome to IOFT NEWS! Please tell us the history of your brand
 |
| Mr. Hironori Kishi, CEO of MonkeyFlip, ASANOYA Co. Ltd |
Mr. Kishi:
Yes. Our shop opened in Nagoya city in 1996 and our original line was launched in 1997. More than 500 models have been released since then. We started to properly market our brand in 2007. Starting from street style, the brand continues to produce hard but cool frames targeting people who has a passion for rock music, bikes and custom culture. We exhibited at IOFT for the first time in 2008 and was awarded Eyewear Of the Year, Men’s category in 2011.
 |
Chiharu:
I remember that!! It’s already been 2 years since the award already?!
I heard that you will be trying something new at this year’s show?...
Mr. Kishi
Yes we will be.
We exhibited 3 years until last year and was able to make connections with many wonderful shops. We did not exhibit last year as it was a turning point for our company. But as we have built a new factory in Aichi and began working on new challenges, we would like to show off our work to many people as possible. That is why we decided to exhibit this year. There are a number of new shows in Japan but IOFT is still the No. 1 to advertise products to a large number of eyewear shops in Japan.
Chiharu:
Thank you so much!! So could I ask a bit more about your new challenge?
Mr. Kishi:
Aichi is very big in the Plastic industry due to its very long history in producing high quality, refined plastic parts for automotive, entertainment and industrial machinery, and have coped with to various customised demands.
Aichi is therefore the leading area in Japan for plastic industry. With this back ground, we started to make high quality plastic frames using injection molding technology.
When you hear the word “injection molding” you may imagine the end product to be something cheap, I certainly used to think that way, but the technology is surprisingly advanced in Aichi.
We carried out a questionnaire in June and 90% of the people who have answered said they cannot tell the difference between the appearance and quality of the frames using the injection molding technique and cut frames. That definitely boosted our confidence and made us believe that what we have been doing is not a waste.
Our work has been praised by the region and was featured in the regional paper, CHUBU-KEIZAI newspaper, using up an entire page. I would prefer to explain more about the technology and the frames at our booth but I can certainly say that the volume created by this method is different from any other. The technique we are using for our frames has allowed us to freely design 3-D shapes and form.
Chiharu:
So you incorporated a local technology into eyewear. That certainly is something to look forward to! I’m sure people are dying to know what it’s like…
Mr. Kishi:
Okay…I will show you just a little.
The theme of the collection is “XENO” which means foreign matter, foreign objects.
 |
| XENO logo |
We will be showcasing 4 models which are called, DOUMA, LINDA, GAIRA and SHIDEN XENO.
All the models have a very cool style and I must admit I have fallen in love with it myself. We added some scales as a gimmick which has perfected the total look. This certainly is a collection proudly representing MonkeyFlip.
This is a photo of a CG prototype of SHIDEN in its preparation stage.
 |
| CG of SHIDEN |
The ENGINE series which was chosen for Eyewear Of the Year has been renewed and reproduced at the Aichi factory and will also be showcased at the show.
Our concept of the brand is; “Last Piece- To become the piece of item that finally defines the character of the wearer” and we are launching the 5 models based on that concept and worked on making the models naturally fit the lifestyle of the wearer. We are coming up with an interesting collaboration so we hope we could impress you by our product line up.
Chiharu:
I am so temped to beg you for more photos but I guess it will have to wait until the opening of the show.
Mr. Kishi:
The target range for MonkeyFlip is not that large but the shops with the same style and taste tend to be a big fan of our work and we wish to meet more buyers like that at this year’s IOFT.
Chiharu:
I see. That makes me even more excited about your exhibit.
Mr. Kishi:
We have spent over a year preparing the new factory and creating the new collection. To think of the number of people that will be witnessing it at IOFT is somewhat intimidating but the excitement of it is much much bigger!
If you wish to make an appointment with us at the show, please contact:
MonkeyFlip Outline
Attn.: Kengo Takada
Tel: 052-261-7710
Email: takada@monkeyflip.co.jp
Chiharu:
Thank you so much! Please make sure to get an appointment with MonkeyFlip before they are fully booked.
[Editor’s Note]
We introduced two exhibitors both with an out of the ordinary factor; MYKITA, a famous German brand with fine quality and design, loved by many celebrities around the world and MonkeyFlip, a unique brand with frames made by an innovative plastic injection molding technique. Without a doubt both exhibitors are glowing with new and exciting ways to create and present their work and have made it harder for us to wait for the opening of the show.
Please keep a close eye on IOFT NEWS for more up to date information about products, trends and juicy information about IOFT.
Written
and edited by Ena Masui, International PR, IOFT Show Management
● EOY 2013 Official HP >>>CLICK HERE
● Be our FAN on Facebook Fan page! >>> CLICK HERE
● Be our FAN on Facebook Fan page! >>> CLICK HERE
● Follow
us on Twitter! >>> CLICK HERE
● IOFT2012 Official HP>>> CLICK HERE
● Information Request on Exhibiting IOFT 2012 >>> CLICK HERE
● Invitation Ticket Request for IOFT 2012 >>> CLICK HERE
● IOFT2012 Official HP>>> CLICK HERE
● Information Request on Exhibiting IOFT 2012 >>> CLICK HERE
● Invitation Ticket Request for IOFT 2012 >>> CLICK HERE
*IOFT 2012 is
NOT open to general public. Those under 18 years old are not allowed to enter
the show.
