Member introduction vol.6 Kaori Hirano
-How long have you been living in Itoshiro?
I moved here in September 2011. When I first visited Itoshiro in August 2007, I knew I wanted to live here, so I started looking for a house and prepared to move, and four years later, my move came true.
-Why did you start Ishiteshiro Clothing Store?
I started in May 2012. At first, I was doing it alone while raising my children, but around 2017, I started to hire staff and turn it into a company, and now all of our team work together to make clothes.
-What kind of work do you do specifically?
Since I am the manager, I am always doing everything. Specifically, I am involved in product planning and design, indigo dyeing, plant dyeing, farm work, and coming up with and implementing PR strategies.
I also plan and organize exhibitions and events. One of my favorite jobs is creating and editing booklets on how to make clothes. I also teach clothing-making workshops.
Anyway, I'm very happy to be able to do what I love at work.
-What products do you recommend?
To be honest, since we make our own products, we love all of them and there are so many that we would recommend, it's difficult to choose...
Among the items I use frequently on a daily basis, "Tatsuke" and "Echizen One Piece" are very useful.
The tats are made of dark blue linen dyed with indigo in Itoshiro. The color is calm and easy to match with anything. I like the color indigo, but I also wear it regularly because it is a dye that protects the body. My children are still small and very active, so the tats are great because they can move around a lot. 
The Echizen dress was useful when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. Now I tie the front with a ribbon and wear it as an outing dress. 
Plant-dyed and indigo-dyed items are safe for small children to touch their skin or put in their mouths, and they have helped me a lot in raising my children.
When doing laundry, I put the clothes in a laundry net and wash them in the washing machine, then spread them out to dry, and iron only when necessary.
We hope that people with small children, people with sensitive skin, people who love the color indigo, people who want to protect the environment, and all kinds of people will enjoy wearing the clothes that we carefully make.
-Please say a few words to our customers.
It's been 11 years since I started the shop in May 2012. I've only been able to keep going while raising my children thanks to the support of so many customers. I'm truly grateful. I want to continue turning the wonderful bounty of this earth into clothing.
We want people to come to Itoshiro, so we'd like to continue making clothes and planning things that will make them think, "I want to go!" We hope you will continue to support us!
- Manager, designer, indigo dyeing craftsman, dyeing instructor, writer, and mother of four boys... Kaori-san is energetically busy with all the activities of Itoshiro Clothing Store, and leads her staff with a cheerful and powerful attitude. It seems that she has a lot of things she wants to achieve for the future. I hope she continues to work hard, taking breaks from time to time. (Akihide)