Today we’d like to introduce you to Asako Kaplan.
Asako, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always knew that I had a creative side. However, growing up in a business-oriented Tokyo family, I followed a direction into early childhood Montessori education for over 15 years. After meeting my husband in Tokyo from the New York area, my life took flight over to the US and after a few years in the northeast, our family flew south to Miami 12 years ago.
Surrounded by Miami’s artistic and design culture, I had the feeling that my life was heading toward the release of my creative side. Well, life can change in a minute, as I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019 just before the onset of COVID. COVID caused a silver lining allowing my family to work and study from home, providing me with the best care when I most needed it.
After beating cancer 2.5 years later, my mother fell ill in Japan and I tried to visit her during COVID but due to Japan’s governmental regulations, we could not meet, and soon after she passed away. All of these life-changing challenges awoke my true purpose and creative spirit, especially when I visited Usuki City in Japan, the region in which my ancestors of the Inaba samurai clan had ruled from 1600-1874.
During my visit, I met the Usami family that operated the Usukiyaki porcelain kiln that was founded by my family in 1801. Seeing this beauty and the hardworking dedicated youth keeping the tradition alive, I saw the opportunity at 54 years old (LIV in Roman numerals) to keep alive my family’s culture and share it with the world. I traveled back to Miami in August 2021 with samples of the beautiful products and connected with the Boffi De Padova design studio team in the Miami Design District.
After some discussions, I was invited to join their Miami Art Week/Art Basel event which was the fuse to starting the business in the US market. Expansion continued in February 2022 as Usukiyaki premiered in Los Angeles during the Frieze Art Fair with Boffi followed by Soho in New York City during the NYC x Design Festival in May 2022.
Additionally, I spoke as a guest lecturer at the University of Miami to the Japanese language students about the revitalization of samurai heritage in April 2022. We have some exciting projects in the works launching later this year. My @InabaStyle Instagram page is slowly growing and I look forward to showcasing the beauty of my local heritage and family history.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Launching a luxury brand in a new market requires deep analysis and planning. Firstly, it is vital to explore the competitive environment and cultural nuances to establish the brand positioning, pricing strategy, and distribution model.
For the porcelain tableware market in the United States, we needed to compete against legacy brands with wide distribution in department stores and specialty shops which appeared impossible at first due to our low production, long lead time, and high pricing model.
However, in a world of mass production stamped with brand names, we realized that our brand history, direct family lineage, handmade production, luxury price positioning, and exclusive retail partner were integral in showcasing the uniqueness of Usukiyaki porcelain.
Secondly, it is vital to continually motivate sales staff with training, incentive programs, and constant communication. It is essential to ensure that pricing policy satisfies both the consumer and retailer. Motivating sales staff to sell a new category of products is a challenge, so much attention on gaining their trust and cooperation is key.
Lastly, building a brand image and story is a daily job whether you are tired or busy with other daily life tasks. My motto is “How you do something is how you do everything.” A brand is a living and breathing being, so it is important to remain consistent in your branding focus and quality to your audience and partners. With social media channels, it is important to understand the audience of each channel and tweak your content to connect accordingly.
I find that the marketing of Usukiyaki inside Japan is quite conservative and linked to Japanese cultural life. I try to add marketing content that relates to different holidays, food cultures, traditions, and travel destinations outside of Japan to show the integration of Usukiyaki into one’s lifestyle.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My ancestors in the early 19th century were the samurai lords from the Inaba clan ruling the Usuki region in southern Japan. Usuki ware or “USUKIYAKI” porcelain once began in 1801 but lasted for only a dozen years. After a lapse of about 200 years, the brand was revitalized by local artisans in Usuki City, an ancient castle town overlooking the sea with a rich culinary culture.
The modern-day product is steeped in history and techniques developed centuries ago. Like a picture frame that enhances a painting, tableware frames the cuisine and transcends the boundaries as a mere tool to create a deeper and more diverse experience as art on the table.
For production, the kiln started blending clays from various regions according to old records. The surface of Usuki ware is not white like western porcelain but has iron powder and bubble pores, which are inevitable to create the unique texture of Usuki ware.
Usuki ware has many flower-shaped designs on white porcelain made by hand using a hand-tapping molding technique called “Katauchi” in which a thinly stretched base clay material is covered with a plaster mold and pressed by hand to form the shape of flowers and petals. To pursue even more beauty and functionality, the foot is made using a potter’s wheel, and the edges of the petals are cut using thread. The shadows cast by the curves of the rim that symbolize the beauty of Usuki ware are created by this combination of techniques.
Usuki ware’s glazes were developed to give tableware the soft impression as if coated with white icing, naturally complementing food and ingredients. Usuki ware, which has many unique shapes, is fired at 1280 degrees Celsius for 16 hours, which is higher than usual, to increase its durability as tableware for both microwave and oven use.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I believe consistency is the most important quality for success. Not only does the product need to be consistently manufactured with proper quality control, but every touchpoint of the brand must also seamlessly connect with the consumer and retailer.
Since Inaba Style launched with the Usukiyaki brand in the US market, everything from our locations, events, invitations, photography, training, and marketing follow one voice that connects my family history from one generation to the next. It is often helpful to review the activities of other heritage brands such as Louis Vuitton (1854) and Breguet timepieces (1775) and how they tell their history, yet remain relevant to modern-day life.
Pricing:
- $175 dinner plate
- $375 service dish
- $180 cup and saucer
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inabastyle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inabastyle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inabastyle
