The Kinfolk Entrepreneur by Nathan WIlliams

Author:Nathan WIlliams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Artisan
Published: 2017-10-05T22:03:13+00:00

Tokuji Motojima

Have you ever slipped into your work clothes and immediately felt better equipped for the day ahead? According to Tokuji Motojima, the CEO of Seven Uniform, that’s no coincidence. The psychological impact of this transformation is what he’s built his global business around.

“Workwear should act as an on-off power switch,” he says. “For example, a cast member at Disneyland once told me that even when she woke up with a severe hangover, she changed when she put on her uniform—just like someone had flicked her switch into work mode.”

Tokuji’s company, which was founded in 1952 by his father-in-law, has tapped into this behavioral insight to create work apparel that places employees’ identities at the heart of their designs. Its premium line of uniforms, HAKUÏ, was launched by Tokuji in the 1990s to address the shifting needs of businesses, which had started to recognize that confident employees lead to better customer service. Tokuji—whose own uniform is the suit he puts on every morning—is an earnest advocate for the morale-boosting qualities of well-considered workwear. The trick, he believes, is placing the employees’ comfort first.

“Most employees complain about conventional work clothes or brand-name work clothes provided by their employer, and that’s probably because they were designed without thinking carefully about workers,” he says. “Therefore, we now have to think about the worker’s identity—not the company’s.”

Tracing the history of the work uniform in Japan, Tokuji identifies three key phases that have led to the current trend in high-quality, design-led staff uniforms. First, there were the purely functional smocks and coveralls that defined Japan’s spectacular postwar economic boom.That period of practicality was followed by a flashier phase of big-namefashion designers who added their logo to brands, but with little thought to the needs of those who wore the clothes each day. The final stage—which laid the groundwork for Tokuji to launch HAKUÏ—is known as hataraki-gi, which loosely translates to “clothes that make your neighbors feel happy and relaxed.”

“They are special compared to other uniforms. They are made with craftsmanship and give workers a professional appearance,” says Tokuji. Current HAKUÏ offerings include a black overall dress, a double-breasted coat with cheekily striped cuffs and an oversize knee-length top with a belted waist. Tokuji and his creative collaborator, Akira Onozuka, are careful to approach workwear designs with the same care as they would for ordinary clothing—both, they believe, should focus on first-rate materials and comfortable cuts. “The basics of workwear are very much the same as the basics of clothing itself,” Tokuji adds.

Throughout the business’s expansion, he has followed the mantra of his late father-in-law. “Do not imitate others. Be yourself,” he says, pointing to the newly developed “C-train” fabric, made from recycled winter coats, as proof of HAKUÏ’s freewheeling identity. Adaptability is essential, as is the humility to recognize when change is needed. “In the case of economic crisis, it’s necessary to check if the business method is good or not,” he says. “The business’s methods become obsolete over time, so I have to renew them periodically.

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