Anything (en + ing)
-Everything is born from encounters between people-
I want to do work that helps people meet and develop lasting relationships,
We named our company "Anything (connection + ing)."
My encounter with MAEKAKE
"If things continue like this, when we quit, Japan will no longer have MAEKAKE..."
When the company was founded in 2000, it was planning and selling T-shirts with kanji characters. Later, an encounter with MAEKAKE craftsmen in their 60s and 70s from Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, the last remaining MAEKAKE production area in Japan, changed the future of Anything.
Manufacturing regions in Japan face common problems such as "outflow to overseas markets" and "lack of successors/aging workforce," and MAEKAKEs are in the same situation.
"If things continue like this and we quit, Japanese MAEKAKE will disappear altogether..." These words from the craftsmen made Nishimura, who had hoped to start selling MAEKAKEs, feel a sense of crisis, but also a sense of mission.
These production areas and craftsmen hold important things for the world of the future. They must be preserved for the next generation.
This is how we started the only MAEKAKE specialty store in Japan.
Hoping to pass on the traditions and essential charm to the future, we established the "Anything MAEKAKE Factory" in Futagawa, Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture on June 21, 2019. We currently operate nine Toyota, Suzuki, and Enshu shuttle looms that are over 80 to 100 years old, and use them to manufacture thick yet soft MAEKAKE.
Representative Introduction
Kazuhiro Nishimura
Anything Ltd. President and CEO Kazuhiro Nishimura
Born in Hiroshima in 1973, currently living in Tokyo
In 2000, he left Ezaki Glico and started a company selling kanji T-shirts in Tokyo. After that, while expanding his product line, he came across the traditional Japanese garment "MAEKAKE" made in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.
As the company expanded its sales channels both domestically and overseas, it decided to build a new factory after an MAEKAKE factory in Toyohashi closed down.
Company Profile
| Company Name | Anything Ltd. |
|---|---|
| President and CEO | Kazuhiro Nishimura |
| Founded | November 2000 (incorporated in 2004) |
| Capital | 3 million yen |
| Business Contents | Planning, manufacturing and sales of sail aprons |
| Number of Employees | 9 people (as of December 2024) |
| contact address | |
| Home page | https://www.anything.ne.jp |
[Shinjuku Gyoen store]
〒160-0022
2nd KS Building 1F, 1-11-17 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-5843-0247
FAX: 03-5843-0248
About a 3-minute walk from Exit 2 of Shinjuku-Gyoenmae Station [Opening hours] Monday to Friday 9:00 to 18:00 [Closed] Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and other temporary closures due to events, etc.
*No parking space. Please use the nearby parking lot.
[Toyohashi Apron Factory]
〒441-3147
167-2 Nishigouchi, Oiwacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
* Inquiries regarding factory tours
*For inquiries regarding full orders, please click here
Awards
2011.12 Tama Shinkin Bank "Tama Blue Green Award Excellence Award"
2013 "Special Jury Award for Excellence in Shinkin Bank Companies"
2014.10 Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry "Courageous Management Award Special Award"
2015.03 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "300 Hardworking Small and Medium-sized Enterprises"
2016.11 Meikeikai Award from the University of Tsukuba
2020.03 Toyohashi Chamber of Commerce and Industry "Urban Design Culture Award"
2023.01 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry "Top 100 Textile Industry Companies Leading the Next Generation"
History
2000.11 Nishimura quit his previous job (Ezaki Glico) and founded the company in Kita-Senju. Started selling on the streets in Harajuku and other areas.
2002 Spring Kanji T-shirts become popular during the Japan-Korea World Cup
2004 Spring : The first sail MAEKAKE product, "Shokunin Spirit," goes on sale
2005.Fall : we started planning and selling canvas MAEKAKE in Ryogoku, Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
2006.07 : Moved the office to Koganei, Tokyo
2007.04 : Traveled to New York, USA, and did cold calling.
2009.09 : Held a one-month "Japanese MAEKAKE Exhibition" at Kinokuniya in New York
2011.07 : Announced "No. 1 MAEKAKE" at the International Fashion Fair at Tokyo Big Sight
2012.11 : "Traditional Japanese MAEKAKE" exhibition at the Consulate General of Japan Gallery in New York
2013.10 : The first young craftsman, Fukuda, begins his training at Toyohashi MAEKAKE Factory "Haga Orimono Factory", followed by Kageyama and Maekawa.
2015.09 : First exhibit at TopDrawer in London, England
2015.09 : "Japanese MAEKAKE Exhibition" held (ITOCHU Aoyama Art Square: details)
2016.05 : Opened the Tokyo Akasaka Office in Motoakasaka, Tokyo
2017.05 : Started trading at the British Museum in London
2019.06 : Opened "MAEKAKE Factory" in Futagawa, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
2020.01 : First exhibit at "Maison & Objet" in Paris, France
2021.10 : Anything "Mount Fuji" MAEKAKE appears in the movie 007 No Time to Die
2024.07 : Anything Shinjuku Gyoen store opens
2024.09 : Anything Paris branch opens