"A SCENE x HIMAA" was recently released. To commemorate this collaboration, A SCENE Director Furuya conducted a relaxed interview with Mr. HIMAA and Mr. Ise! We'll bring you a wealth of information, including Mr. HIMAA's background, design philosophy, and behind-the-scenes stories of product development.

Furuya First, I'd like to hear about HIMAA-san's background and how he got to where he is today.

HIMAA How far back should I go? Should I start when I was a baby?

Furuya Lol

HIMAA I was born and raised in Kobe until I was 26. Then I moved to Tokyo and spent about 20 years there, and now I've moved to Takamatsu, where a new life has begun. So, roughly speaking, half of my life was in Kansai/Kobe, and half was in Tokyo. And now, Takamatsu.

Furuya So, you aspired to be an artist even when you were in Kobe.

HIMAA I don't know about being an artist... I liked to draw, and I had been drawing since elementary school or even kindergarten.
When I went to university, I went to a design school and seriously studied design. My parents are in construction, so after graduating from university, I went to a school to get an architect's license, which took a little less than a year and a half, I think. I got my license there. I was a bit unsure about my career path around that time; I liked architecture, so I also had the desire to pursue a career in architecture, but I moved to Tokyo and eventually shifted to art. So that's how I originally started.

Furuya I see.

HIMAA In Tokyo, I initially worked as an illustrator. While doing that kind of work, I also continued to pursue my own art and expressions, doing both.

Furuya Indeed, even now, there seems to be a clear image of those two main axes.

HIMAA That's right! I'm still doing both.

Furuya: This is the second VOILLD curation collaboration, but going back, the first time I met HIMAA-san was when I did a collaboration event with Kagami-san in Kobe, and HIMAA-san came to visit from Takamatsu, and we had lunch, tea, and dinner together. That was our first encounter, right? (laughs)

HIMAA: That's right!

Furuya: I'd like to hear about your usual interactions and how you two met.

HIMAA: I met Ise-san...

Ise: It's been about 10 years, hasn't it? It was Kagami-san who introduced us, so that was the connection.

This might be the first time we've worked on such a big project together.

Furuya: Really?

HIMAA: That's true.

Ise: We had made VOILLD merchandise before.

HIMAA: Working with Ise-san is great because I get to try things I've never made before.

Ise: We made cushions and rugs, so we've challenged ourselves with quite a few different things.

HIMAA: Rather than just making simple T-shirts, it's about making something a bit more in-depth, and in that sense, Ise-san is a first.

Ise: I'm happy to hear that.

HIMAA: We went deep!

Ise: Yes, sometimes we went too deep and things didn't sell, but...

Furuya: I see (laughs)

Furuya: Could you give us a general idea of the intention and imagery behind "SMILE" and "Kurukuru," which you designed for us this time, HIMAA?

HIMAA: General idea! To put it very generally, it's like, one will sell well and the other won't. That's the image.

All: (Awkward laughter)

Ise: No, no. He said it wouldn't sell, but it's about one being bold and the other being something everyone likes.

Furuya: "Kurukuru" is amazing.
The first time I saw it, and even now, it has a completely different impression on me.

Ise: Furuya-san, you were a bit confused at first. Like, "This is good, but how should I perceive it?"

Furuya: That's right.
But it really grew on me. As the product was being developed, HIMAA-san's own perception changed, and adjustments were made to the thickness of the lines. "Kurukuru" was something he was very conscious of, and there were several subtle adjustments, which led to a really great item.

Ise: Now, some even say it might be better than "SMILE." Like, "Should we push 'Kurukuru'?"

HIMAA　No, it's absolutely wonderful!

Furuya　Thank you! I'm so happy!

Ise　It's cute, isn't it?

HIMAA　It's extremely cute.

Furuya　This is a reflector.

HIMAA　My wish came true.

Furuya　When I was talking with HIMAA-san, I heard that you like glow-in-the-dark and reflectors, so at that moment I decided to go with a silver base this time. So I also tried using Dyneema, which has an interesting texture. It's a very popular material even within A SCENE.

Ise　The monotone is really nice, after all.

Hirayama　It's simple, isn't it?

Furuya　It's the most simple item ever, which is refreshing.

HIMAA　I had a feeling that if I combined a lot of colorful colors, it would end up clashing with others. So I originally had the idea of just using one color. The cord also has a reflector in it, right?

Furuya　Yes.

Ise　It's the part with a slightly different texture that glows!

HIMAA　I want to try it at night.

Ise　Please do try it.

HIMAA　My favorite… that’s tough. Seriously, it’s really hard. Which one is it? Maybe both.

Ise　No, no. Items! Items. Not the design.

HIMAA　Items, huh? That’s hard… The PC sleeve, we really struggled with the placement.

Furuya　We came up with so many patterns, didn’t we? It was a struggle, but in the end, HIMAA-san led us to the perfect answer, and we were like, "This is it!" I thought, "She’s amazing."

HIMAA　We did, didn’t we! And the finished product is exactly like that. Just as I imagined.
It’s nice that it’s not like typical PC cases; it has a sturdy feel to it.

Ise　It was really good that it was all silver.

Furuya　I think so too. When we went into production, they initially told us that the SMILE design was subtly off-center, and it would be difficult to produce without errors during mass production, but they managed to make it work.

Furuya What is the source of energy for HIMAA when you create your works?

HIMAA The fundamental reason is that I want to enjoy myself, but after doing this for so long, there are many times when I can't really get to that enjoyable part. But this time, it was really fun. I was looking forward to it from the beginning!

Furuya That makes me incredibly happy.

HIMAA I saw the products when Kagami-san and A SCENE collaborated, and I thought they were good.

Furuya HIMAA-san even came to the event we held in Kobe with Kagami-san, didn't you! We all had a round table Chinese lunch. (laughs)

HIMAA We all went to "DORSIA" in Kobe then, didn't we?

Furuya We did!

HIMAA The fact that we were able to shoot at "DORSIA" in Takamatsu this time also makes me feel a connection from that time.

Furuya I really feel it!

Furuya: Since HIMAA BABY was born, you've both appeared as parent and child in the collaboration images. Has becoming a father changed your approach to your work?

 HIMAA: It hasn't really changed much from what I was doing before, but in terms of the little details, since many of my works are drawn with black and white lines, I realized that they are easy for babies of that age to see. Colors aren't really conveyed to them much at first. They can recognize black lines of a certain width, and they particularly react to the eyes in face drawings.

Furuya: I see.

HIMAA: So they probably recognize this one (SMILE) much better than this one (Kurukuru). So, even though it's not a work I drew, for example, they react to masks and skeletons.

Ise: They react to skeletons too?

HIMAA: Yes. Little kids don't really have a sense of fear. They just recognize it as something like a person, and it resonates with them. So, no matter what else I draw, they ignore it. (laughs)

I think that influence was part of why I wanted to do "SMILE" this time!

Furuya　Also, this café "DORSIA" where we just filmed. What is the relationship between HIMAA and "DORSIA"?

HIMAA　I got a call from my junior, Fukuda-kun, saying he wanted to open a coffee shop, so I helped him out. The first store opened in Kobe, and I was still in Tokyo at the time. Eventually, I moved here. Fukuda-kun also lives in Kobe now and had connections in Kagawa, so we decided to open another store here, and that's how the second store came to be.

Furuya　So, HIMAA was in charge of the overall design, right?

HIMAA　Roughly speaking, yes. I was involved in the conceptual aspects, from the interior to the menu. The Kobe store was originally a barbershop, and we kept most of its existing structure, so some of that atmosphere might still remain. For the Takamatsu store, we decided to build it from scratch since we had the opportunity. As I mentioned earlier, I have an architectural license, so I revived various memories.

Ise　That's right!

HIMAA　Yes, that's right. It's been over 20 years, so I couldn't remember all the details. At that time, Mr. Matsumura from Sakura Seisakusho, whom I happened to meet here, helped me. He's a furniture craftsman from a company that makes chairs like George Nakashima's. I met him around the time I moved here, and we started drinking together frequently. That's how I consulted him, and he said, "Let's do it." Also, Mr. Oka, the architect who designed Busshozan Onsen, joined us. So, this Takamatsu store was completed with a truly amazing and luxurious team.

Furuya: HIMAA-san, do you have any ideas for new A SCENE products that you wish existed?

HIMAA: How about a phone case with gloves attached?

Furuya: Gloves! Is there a root to that idea?

Ise: Yes. I think it might have been inspired by the Glove Museum, which is probably the only memory HIMAA-san and I share of Takamatsu.

HIMAA: I don't know if that's where it came from, but what just popped into my mind is a phone case with gloves attached, so you can put your hands in to keep them warm, and still hold your phone.

Ise: Everyone always has their phones in their hands, don't they?

HIMAA: Exactly, it's like the gloves are the phone case.

Furuya: A glove-shaped phone case, then.

HIMAA: Right, so it's warm, and A SCENE's pockets can be detached, can't they? So it can also be used as a standalone pair of gloves.

Furuya: I see. It's a case that snaps on, then.

Furuya: Finally, for 2025, if there's any small movement or news from either of you, please share it.

HIMAA: I'll be having a two-person exhibition in Takamatsu with YURI HASEGAWA (yurippe) at a gallery called "Motif." We've actually had a two-person exhibition before at Utrecht in Tokyo, a while ago. When "Motif" invited me to exhibit again after all this time, I thought I'd like to invite Yurippe.

Furuya: Is that in April?

HIMAA: Yes, that's in April. Or maybe May? Was it April?

Furuya: And Korea too?

HIMAA: Korea is also in April, isn't it? I'll be going to Lotte Tower in Seoul for BEAMS' POP UP event in the first week of April.

Furuya: Amazing. It feels like fate that this collaboration item will also be available at BEAMS.

HIMAA: Right. And I also have an exhibition in Paris.

Furuya: In Paris! Wonderful!

HIMAA: That's also in April, it's a bit concentrated.

Furuya: You're having a two-person exhibition in Takamatsu where you live now, and then Korea and Paris, it's very global.

Ise: All in April, right? (laughs)

HIMAA: Yes, it's going to be tough. I wanted to spread them out, but I couldn't.

Furuya: Thank you. How about "VOILLD"?

Ise: VOILLD, with the sponsorship of DORSIA, updates a podcast called "Not Art, Not Like This Either" with Ken Kagami every Wednesday. We're aiming for 100 episodes for now.

HIMAA: The commercials are interesting, aren't they?

Ise: We get to make a DORSIA commercial every time!

Furuya: You don't really invite many guests, do you?

Ise: We initially said we'd invite people, but we sort of got into our own rhythm, and it became a hassle.

HIMAA: It's been going on for 40 episodes, that's amazing!

Ise: The latest one is episode 39, so by the time this is out, it might be around episode 50. We're working hard to update it. Thank you.

Furuya: Ken Kagami's picture book also appears a little in this look, so we'll have him promote it too. (laughs)

HIMAA: That's right. (laughs)

Ise: Let's have him do it!

HIMAA: The first art collaboration was with Kagami-san, and the second is me, right? The third will be Kagami-san?

Ise: No! (laughs)

Furuya: Then the fourth would be HIMAA-san. (laughs)

Ise: We won't do that kind of rotation. (laughs) But Kagami-san has said he'd like to do it again!

Furuya: I'm happy to hear that! The response was good too.

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