Kenichiro Koyama Creative Produce Office opened its New York office on December 25, 2021.
The aim is to expand the overseas reach of “OKINAWA SUITS,” which contributes to solving the problem of mass clothing waste, and to promote borderless connections between Okinawa Prefecture and the world.
December 25, 2021 Kenichiro Koyama Creative Produce Office, headquartered in Kunigami Village, has opened a virtual New York office. This move aims to foster borderless connections between Okinawa Prefecture and the world.
The company revitalized a 45-year-old abandoned hotel in Kunigami Village, Okinawa’s northernmost point, transforming it into the new lodging facility YANBARUHOSTEL. It also handles “OKINAWA SUITS,” created from discarded kariyushi wear to contribute to solving the severe global problem of mass clothing disposal. Furthermore, CEO Koyama serves as brand manager for over 10 companies both within and outside Okinawa Prefecture, making it one of the prefecture’s leading creative companies.
The primary goal for the initial phase of the New York office is to generate business ideas based on information gained through active communication with local companies and residents. This aims to expand sales channels for Okinawa’s products and services, including those of partner companies. Simply increasing travel isn’t enough. Like YANBARU HOSTEL and OKINAWASUITS, it’s about capturing subtle shifts and small pieces of information to create new value. (Indeed, YANBARU HOSTEL was born from just a few annual visits to my wife’s family home.) This process and its outcomes will introduce and spread real global standards within the prefecture, driving Okinawa’s overall development.
Next, we aim for the global expansion of “OKINAWA SUITS,” created from discarded Kariyushi wear that would otherwise be thrown away. This stems from a desire to position Okinawa Prefecture at the center of solutions for the massive clothing disposal problem by having Kariyushi Wear collaborate with discarded clothing worldwide.
Why go to such lengths to conceive and execute ideas focused on Okinawa Prefecture? Representative Koyama explains: “It was Kunigami Village and Okinawa Prefecture that saved me from my relentless urban workdays. When opening YANBARU HOSTEL, I promised supporters ‘From Yanbaru to the World’—I won’t rest until I deliver on that promise.” His conviction remains unchanged since those days. He adds that the New York expansion is merely the prologue. With the solid experience and skills cultivated thus far, the plan is to expand the creative performance domain worldwide to realize a new vision born in Okinawa Prefecture.
The grand, global strategy prepared since 2019 is finally beginning. The day when you can encounter Okinawa Prefecture’s globally recognized products and services anywhere in the world is surely not far off.
