— Please tell us about your career before starting AFTER.
I joined EYEVAN when I was 29 and have been with them ever since. Before joining EYEVAN, I worked at another eyewear store, and it was through my experience buying Oliver Peoples there that EYEVAN approached me, leading to where I am today.
For the past few years, I've been the store manager of EYEVAN 7285 TOKYO, while also overseeing the Omotesando area.
— Please tell us what prompted you to become independent.
In recent years, EYEVAN has fortunately attracted younger customers and international tourists. This feeling that the brand and store had entered a new phase was one of the catalysts.
Up until now, I've always prioritized helping my customers make purchases with the confidence of knowing who they are buying from. However, EYEVAN has grown into a brand and store where customers will choose us even if I don't focus on that aspect.
— What kind of store do you envision AFTER being?
I want AFTER to be a place where customers can truly feel confident in who they are buying from. I aim to provide even more detailed and tailored suggestions, only possible through my personalized customer service, for those who truly appreciate craftsmanship.
I've been in this industry for almost 20 years, and I believe I've become quite skilled technically. It goes without saying that since eyeglasses are worn on the face, proper vision testing and fitting are crucial.
While it's not impossible for even a first-year employee to handle everything from measurement to fitting, whether the customer will truly be satisfied is another matter entirely. I intend to create a store where customers can feel reassured about such points.
— What eyewear will AFTER carry, and why?
I will continue to carry EYEVAN 7285 and 10 eyevan, and I also plan to offer vintage eyewear and watches, which I love.
I believe the coolest eyewear is vintage. In reality, I think eyewear designs have already reached their peak with vintage styles, and it's incredibly difficult to achieve originality beyond that.
To advance designs that are almost complete, it requires a thorough re-evaluation of minute parts, which incurs significant costs. However, EYEVAN 7285 and 10 eyevan are doing just that.
In that sense, I believe these two brands are the only ones currently producing eyewear that has the potential to surpass vintage styles.
— Will you not carry other brands?
That's right. Since I'm opening my own store, I could carry anything, but I felt it would be wrong to carry something just because it seemed like it would sell or looked cool at first glance. Although I initially considered several products and brands, I decided against all of them.
Ultimately, if I don't truly love something, I can't genuinely recommend it from the heart, and in that sense, nothing else really clicked for me.
— What kind of brand is EYEVAN 7285?
The greatest feature of EYEVAN 7285 is that every single mold for even the smallest parts is custom-made. Molds for eyewear parts are very expensive, so it's common in the eyewear industry for the same parts to be used in completely different glasses to cut costs.
However, EYEVAN 7285 creates entirely different molds for each and every part of all their models. It's only natural that glasses designed with all original parts look cooler than those assembled from existing parts.
While we can, of course, explain the meticulous detail in each part of the resulting eyewear, what truly sets it apart is the overall look and presence that is completely different from anything else.
This is something I really want people to experience firsthand and hold in their hands.
— What kind of brand is 10 eyevan?
10 eyevan has the theme of "beautiful tools." Based on the idea that beautiful tools are a collection of beautiful parts, it's a brand born from thoroughly examining every single part of eyewear, treating it as a tool.
For example, the screws used in eyewear, which have been an unchanging part for many years, were the starting point for the 10 eyevan brand.
10 eyevan uses a special type of screw called Torx, which is neither a Philips nor a flathead. When tightened with this screw, it fastens securely with little force and is less likely to loosen. Such specialized screws are custom-made using beta-titanium, which is extremely difficult to process.
In this way, not just the screws but all parts are thoroughly scrutinized. Eyewear designed by 10 eyevan thus achieves a high level of both aesthetic beauty as eyewear and functional performance as a tool.
— Both EYEVAN 7285 and 10 eyevan are brands that pay meticulous attention to detail, aren't they?
The designer at EYEVAN actually has experience in the screw industry, so they are incredibly knowledgeable about everything and pay meticulous attention to even the smallest details.
For example, they are very particular about the subtle shape of even a single nose pad, and seeing that makes me realize that no other brand can truly imitate it.
In that sense, I believe EYEVAN 7285 and 10 eyevan have the potential to surpass vintage eyewear. Furthermore, the high precision of their fine parts and their comfortable fit are charms that vintage items cannot offer, which I believe is unique to current products. I want to actively propose these aspects to our customers.
