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| Taito Designers Village: Asakusa | |||
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Tokyo is famous as a leader in cutting-edge design and culture. In addition to the well-known names at the tops of their professions, Tokyo has many uncelebrated, up-and-coming artisans working in various parts of town. Some of them can be found in a little-known spot far from the fashionable districts of Aoyama and Shibuya - Taito Designers Village.
The complex is located in a Tokyo ward with a long history of textile design, in an often overlooked area near Asakusa. It's a place where fashion designers, shoemakers, and other artisans can enjoy some inexpensive working space in a quiet location. The Taito Ward government made an unusually forward-thinking decision to save this architecturally interesting grade school from the wrecker's ball, electing to put the school to good use in service to the creative community. Taito Designers Village now houses thirty-two designers, who are granted use of studio space for a limited term - usually three years. With a studio comes the right to use the space at a subsidized rent while these rising talents get their bearings as professionals. Impressive is the cosmopolitanism of the group, many of whom have spent time abroad; all are friendly and refreshingly supportive of each other's work. Jiro Watanabe, who grew up in LA, creates men's fashions and maintains a savvy awareness of tastes and trends. Hideo Miyamoto, another clothesman, spent four years in London and has come back to Japan brimming with energy and ideas. Maho Shimizu, a participant in the most recent Tokyo Designers Block, finds discarded furniture and brings it back to life - with a twist. Maho finds her inspiration in a pink suitcase that serves as her workshop for restoring the life of discarded objects to something beyond their original. Taito Designers Village is neither tourist attraction nor handicrafts mart; it is not even officially open to the public except when hosting special events. Visitors who phone ahead and make their interest known to the secretary may be able to arrange a simple tour looking in on the artisans at work, who are only too happy to talk about their various endeavors. Don't expect to see grandeur; these are former classrooms, as the child-scale wash basins in the corridors will attest. The grandeur lies in the creativity of the inhabitants within. by Robert La Bua |
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