In order to rejuvenate and raise the level of the creative industry, Nagoya City, as the main constituent of business operations, and the International Design Center Nagoya, shouldering planning management, started this shop and project to back up the activities of young creators in design, fashion, handicrafts and other fields by acting as a retail venue for their products.

For the first session, noted in a public posting, six tenants with creative business plans and product proposals were chosen. From individualized tenants, we were able to gather products like experiments in using the power of design to tackle issues like fair trade and environmental problems, or products developed from a different viewpoint―new souvenirs and traditional handcrafts from the Nagoya region. We implemented an institution for product development where before there had only been one-off events with no follow-through.

With creators shop Loop, in order for creators themselves to carry out continuous activities and have them lead to commercialization, they can not only sell their products but also collect information on user needs and feedback. During the session, we were able to give results of tenants’ PR events, and on surveys, not only business goals but also great support for each tenant, and at the same time, many hints about both product development and sales techniques.

creators shop Loop (First Session)
Period: Fri., November 16 2011 – Sun., May 13 2012
Hours: 11:00am – 8:00pm
Closed: Tuesdays (sometimes alternated due to exhibit schedule)
Visitors: 14,950
Surveys collected: 643
Primary Project Constituent: City of Nagoya
Planning and management: International Design Center NAGOYA, Inc.

Tenants (First Session)
*Name, representative and outline of tenants

éthical pénélope / Satomi Harada
A shop featuring products tackling social issues like fair trade with the power of design.
éthical pénélope

Nagoya Yomeiri Dogu / Takeyuki Kamiyama
Proposing products designed to give new life in today’s world to techniques of traditional regional crafts.
Nagoya Yomeiri Dogu

bonanza made in Nagoya / Noriko Inagaki
Offering handmade shoes and leather goods by young inheritors of crafts techniques.
bonanza made in Nagoya

Manu Mobiles / Junjiro Imai
Original mobiles made in Japan of only paper and string. Event mobiles also available.
Manu Mobiles

marimomen / Yu Ito
Developing products with a new, pop attitude out of Arimatsu Narumi tie-dyeing, one of Nagoya’s traditional crafts.
marimomen

Mei-butsu / Takashi Honda
New souvenirs for Nagoya―from designers. “Souvenirs to go with your travel tales”
Mei-butsu