"Something that leaves its image in one's mind--that is what I've always wanted to create. Whether it is a piece or a spectrum of work, leaving something is my biggest job." Akihiko Kobayashi, CEO and chief creator of ADMJ, captivates our eyes with the majestic, frill free presence of his masterpiece handbags. The iconic C-tote of the Tokyo-born brand has now become a luxury item among businesswomen even beyond the sea in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and even in European countries. Kobayashi refers to himself not as a designer but as an artisan, and the alluring C-tote reflects his craftsmanship and the brand's long kept stance.

At ADMJ, leather, metal, and cloth are the most essential elements in the creation process, or as Kobayashi calls the materials, the DNA of the brand. The leather is all selected and imported from Italy by Kobayashi himself. He regularly visits the Italian tanners and says,"If I am convinced enough that I can't find the leather anywhere but here, or the leather is the best in the world, then I get it." In addition to the careful selection, the leather is hand finished and the artificial materials he selects for ADMJ's accessories are all environmentally conscious--reusable and recyclable. Besides his tenacity in selecting supreme materials from overseas, Kobayashi himself also develops his original materials and metal parts in collaboration with tanners and metal designers in Japan. "It's the brand's mission," he explains. "I do not design the bag. Instead I choose the materials and find the best combinations of them: metal pieces with the textures, considering even their background."

With its classy outward appearance, the C-tote also displays the Japanese aesthetic tradition monodukuri, which is the concept of industrial art with an artist's mind. For Kobayashi, this means details like sewing and materials are the most important elements, and in this aspect he follows the model of what distinguishes Japanese designers from those overseas: "the concentration on undersurface," as he puts it. Japanese designers dedicate their focus not solely to the design but to the details that only the dexterity of craftsmanship can produce. "To me, this is where the significance of making things in Japan lies," says Kobayashi. In Tokyo, the C-tote has been made by the hands of craftsmen who keep in close touch with Kobayashi.

In each collection, the C-tote does not only ravish fashionistas but it also attracts the eyes of window shoppers with its color and design variation. Kobayashi grew up paying attention to the rich seasonal changes and he now uses that as inspiration. The combination of red and yellow leaves, the dark brown of a tree trunk, and purple berries become his basis for deciding the color scheme. For Kobayashi, as each different component in nature　harmonizes and completes the aesthetic scenery, "balance" is his definition of beauty. In his latest collections for autumn and winter, the C-tote represents this philosophy with vivid vermilion and deep green.

Today the tote is a sought after item by women all over that long for the luxurious ADMJ purses, but according to Kobayashi, it was not a big seller in the beginning. In this voraciously consuming society, the majority of designers send out products that are a passing vogue, but Kobayashi persists in creating what he believes is good regardless of the buyer trend. "When you keep doing something steadily, there comes the day when it is something very firm, something people will remember for a lifetime." True to his beliefs, the C-tote is now a symbolic item of ADMJ with its stylish beauty. By inheriting this tradition, the Tokyo-made artisan bag continues to fascinate women worldwide.

 

**　The C-totes in the pictures above are temporarily not available at stores.

ADMJ    Accessoires De Mademoiselle Limited Company
http://www.admj.co.jp/

--Now 2008-2009 Autumn / Winter Collection is available.