I thought I didn’t want to work in fashion, so I judged that there was no future for me in it.
I wanted to become a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
I was influenced by a certain TV program and thought I wanted to go to a remote area.
I entered a university that trains people for the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and studied that, but while living in the heart of Tokyo, since my university was near Shibuya, my interest in clothing reignited.
However, I was also in a dilemma, feeling like I didn’t want to take over the family business.
I thought I wanted to return to Yamagata at least once, so I took a job in a completely different field from fashion in Yamagata.
I worked there for about two years, but I started to feel a sense of discomfort while working.
I didn’t want to take over the family business, but I wanted to do something related to fashion, so when I quit and started wandering around, I was naturally asked to help out since the family business was busy.
It started with a light-hearted approach, like "just a part-time job would be fine," and I dipped my toes in.
As I was pondering what to do, I gradually started doing various things on-site, and several years passed.
I thought I would take a break and decided to quit, but I was opposed, so I thought maybe I would consider it a bit longer.
While I was continuing a little longer, quite a bit of time had passed.
I started doing sales for the factory myself, and it’s been about ten years since then.
I began to notice the issue of why factories involved in textiles are declining.
From the factory's perspective, it seems unlikely that the people making the products would be in a good state.
I started to understand the negative trends and began to think about how to change that.
That’s where the so-called Batoner started.