Spring 2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic State of Emergency Declaration

We launched Local Craft Market in May 2020 with the concept of ‘Transcending geographical boundaries, connecting with makers’ aspirations.’ Over the following two years, we held a total of 11 online craft markets. The project was an epoch-making experience for TRUNK DESIGN as it expanded our network of friends across the country.

It all started in mid-April when the government declared a nationwide state of emergency. I went to an empty office and spent my days tidying up and thinking alone. Every day, I received calls and messages asking for advice, including from fishermen prohibited from selling fish at the market and makers deprived of the opportunity to do business for new products. The communication between people long established through exchanging goods had come to a halt, leading to an uncertain future. I felt it was not as simple as creating an e-commerce site to solve this problem.

In response to this crisis, I had the idea to set up a platform where various makers could serve customers online and make it even more interesting if we tailored it to an event that everyone could enjoy together. Straight away, I pitched the idea to Tetsuya Sawada of Mitemo Co. Ltd., a co-collaborator, to discuss the idea. That was on 30 April.

Unveiling the ‘Anywhere Door’: the gateway to visiting craft producers across Japan from the comfort of your home

After Mr. Sawada and I said ‘Let’s do it!’ things progressed rapidly. We began building a platform using the online event tool “Remo,” at the same time as reaching out to our network of makers. We set up a management team with Mitemo and TRUNK DESIGN at its core, supported by trusted partners and regular business collaborators.

The event venue was a virtual department store with five floors. When guests logged in and stepped through the entrance, they were greeted by a concierge who guided them around the different floors. Exhibitors’ stands were arranged on the 2nd to 4th floors, and guests could visit their favorite makers and producers to learn more about their products or be shown around their workshops. If they found a product they liked, they could go to the companies’ e-commerce sites to purchase it. It was truly an ‘Anywhere Door’ where you could visit makers throughout Japan without needing to leave the comfort of your own home. Online technologies like this enable you to visit makers based all over Japan, allowing you to connect with a region’s culture, landscape and values in a deep and personal way. This event was an interactive experience with a new value beyond simply buying things online.

Of course, it was not enough to just create an online platform. At the time, most people were unfamiliar with online meetings, so we held briefing sessions and workshops for exhibitors before the event to lecture on the basics of operation and discuss effective presentation methods. We continued these online briefing sessions before hosting each event, which often led to more informal social gatherings. Through these gatherings, we were able to build deeper relationships, where we could speak more openly with each other.

Event improvements accelerated through ‘Wisdom Sharing’

And so, after a short preparation period of just over two weeks from the concept, a ‘Local Craft Market β’ trial event was held on May 16 and 17 2020. Both participation and admission were free, with around 30 producers taking part from all over the country, all leaders in local industry. The entire operation was run by volunteers, including designers, students, and government officials who had seen our posts on social media and offered their free time to support us. 

We got a great response from this first event, so we continued to hold ‘Local Craft Market’ events every two months. As anticipated, the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions increased the range of activities we could do, so we kept the format of these events fluid, deciding to ‘try something different each time.’ The management team split into several groups, such as Planning and PR, communicating through “Slack”. We brought various ideas to life, including staff interviews with craft makers and producers on Instagram Live and developing projects to take orders for customized items. 

We held an online reflection meeting after each event, inviting exhibitors who had successfully captured customers and secured sales to share their know-how, including how they had improved their customer service. Exhibitors also had the opportunity to provide feedback to the organizers and suggest improvements. This ‘wisdom sharing’ ensured that ‘Local Craft Market’ was refined with each iteration.

A network of friends across Japan with shared aspirations, beyond social and geographical differences

In the meantime, we received an unexpected invitation from LUCUA, a commercial building in Umeda, Osaka. As people gradually returned to the cities, they wanted to hold a Local Craft Market event in their retail complex, combining virtual and real-life experiences.

While this was going on, we were also asked by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to cooperate with the「Tokyo Treasure Island Project,」to promote the 11 Islands in Tokyo. Taking this opportunity we rebranded the sixth Local Craft Market to the ‘Islands Market’ showcasing island produce, including a pop-up event at LUCUA held over a four-days in February 2021. In addition to selling local craft products curated from islands in Tokyo, Niigata, Hyogo, Kumamoto, and Okinawa, we devised and introduced a large monitor at the entrance that allowed visitors to communicate with makers from across the country online, which was very well received.

In the latter half of 2021, the world began to take significant steps toward coexisting with COVID-19. For our part, we felt that the role of ‘Local Craft Market’ had come to an end, so we decided to discontinue the event after its 11th run in February 2022.

As each event went on, connections led to more connections, and the circle of people expanded at a speed that we had not imagined. The relationships that emerged from this project have been refreshingly relaxed and collaborative. There have been many unexpected interactions, such as traditional craftspeople connecting with students, or designers connecting with government officials. The biggest achievement for us, the organizers and exhibitors, was the increase in the number of friends across the country, transcending differences in culture and distance. The relationships that we forged here led to our next challenge, LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN.