The beginning of SOLAHANPU (Designer's story)

Sola, the designer of SOLAHANPU, has loved investigating the structure of things, making 3D crafts, and drawing since she was a child, and has had a strong curiosity about "creating" something . At the same time , she has the personality to act quickly when she gets an idea, and from her mid-teens she had a strong desire to see the world outside of Japan and broaden her horizons .

When I was just approaching 20 , I happened to have the opportunity to live in France, and even though I couldn't speak a foreign language, I had always wanted to learn about other countries, broaden my horizons, have many adventures and experiences, and improve myself. Although I had no overseas experience at the time, I decided to take this opportunity to go abroad. I then concentrated on saving money for about four months and finally flew to France. In the end, I missed the opportunity, but my desire to continue seeing other countries remained strong, so I began traveling around Europe, America, and Asia with nothing but the clothes on my back .

At first , I would return to Japan for short periods, work for a certain period, save up money, and then go abroad again . But eventually, I was able to find work in other countries , and I began alternating between work and travel. I experienced a variety of things, including fishing and camping in the Alaskan wilderness , spending days in Germany eating only cheap bread to save money, teaching Japanese in Hong Kong , and nearly being robbed in Italy and the United States . Through these experiences, I learned English, Chinese, and a few other languages ​​through hands-on interaction with local people wherever I went.

During the few years I was traveling, I lived on the bare minimum, so even when I could afford it , I would stay in youth hostels (at that time, multi-person rooms in Western countries cost about US$ 15-25 per night ), and when I couldn't afford it, I often had no choice but to sleep outdoors. In these survival-like situations traveling around various countries, I , who had just turned 20 , gradually developed the awareness and skill to minimize my luggage, and I began to travel with just a small assault backpack and my wallet.

The reason why I had to carry such little luggage was that at the time I was short on money and didn't know when or where I would be able to sleep, so if I had a lot of luggage it would be difficult to move around and it would be difficult to manage my luggage so that I wouldn't lose it, so it just happened naturally. Regarding wallets, some people say that it's better to carry valuables separately when traveling abroad, but in my case I chose to keep them all in one place, putting my passport and everything in my wallet and securing it with a wallet chain. In places where safety cannot be guaranteed, I would even sleep with my wallet in my pocket or in my trousers . - The less luggage you have, the easier it is to move around and manage -I think this fits with the concept of decluttering. However, because I had so little luggage (too minimal) , immigration officials would arouse suspicion and I was questioned several times, asking, " Are you a spy? " and only being released after they confirmed there were no problems. Regarding places to stay, I also stayed in facilities (called shelters in the US) run by governments and various organizations for people who couldn't find work or housing in various countries. Looking back on it, it's a memory that makes me laugh and cry.

About 10 years later, I was still living abroad. One day, I suddenly received a call that an acquaintance of mine might pass away. I immediately returned to Japan and was with him for his final few days. While I was sad, I also thought about the meaning of life in our limited lives, and felt a strong desire to actively pursue the things I love and want to achieve . At the time, I was unable to find a wallet that I was satisfied with, so I decided to combine the designs for wallets and bags I had been thinking about for a while and create a brand to sell products I designed myself. This was the prototype for SOLAHANPU .

However, when it came to actual production , I realized it wasn't as easy as I'd thought . At first, I created sketches and dimensional drawings of the product, selected materials and parts, and used the internet and connections to find factories to produce it, but they would often request thousands of units in lots, or refuse to accept the request because they weren't likely to sell . Even when a factory was willing to take on the project, they would produce products that were completely different from the specified dimensions and shape, change the specified materials and parts without permission, extend the delivery date, and even when I finally saw the completed prototype, it was completely different from what I had imagined. I faced all kinds of problems. I repeated this process over and over, but time just kept passing, and it was about two years after I started that I finally produced my first product of a quality that could be sold to customers . However, various production issues continued unresolved, and I gradually shifted to making things myself .

I had never studied design professionally, but my original love of three-dimensional crafting and drawing came in handy. I also learned AutoCAD and other design software, as well as craft sewing and pattern making, by referring to what I saw in factories and teaching myself , and I acquired the skills to make prototypes and produce small quantities.

In 2016 , Tenuis , the first slim wallet in Japan, was featured in well-known media outlets such as Lifehacker and Gizmodo, and quickly became well-known. Later that year, the successor version, Tenuis2 , was released as part of the first online campaign, and received support from over 300 people, becoming a stepping stone for increased activity in Japan.

At the time, production was still limited to myself and a small group of craftsmen . As production volume continued to grow over the next few years, we searched for partner factories, but were unable to find one capable of producing in Japan, and we once again moved to overseas factories. However, even though these overseas factories were courteous and meticulous during prototypes , once full production began , they would ignore our requests and produce sloppily, use unspecified materials, or remain completely unaware of progress no matter how many times we asked. Even after the contracted deadline was completely overdue, we were exhausted and felt we had reached our limits in terms of quality and delivery, and ultimately came to a strong realization that the quality and manufacturing system we sought could only be achieved in Japan . In fact, we had been searching for a Japanese production factory since around 2010 , but due to the complex production process of SOLAHANPU products, we were unable to find a suitable factory for a long time, both technically and under our conditions. I believe there are differences between Japanese and overseas factories in terms of what can and cannot be done. However, after many twists and turns, since 2023 , we have finally established a satisfactory production system in Japan, centered around our own craftsmen and workshops.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported SOLAHANPU over the past few years . I personally intend to continue designing and creating products that combine functionality and beauty. I will humbly accept any feedback from customers, reflect on my actions, and work hard to help SOLAHANPU grow even further and be accepted by more people.