DESIGNER



-Nao Kawashima (Kurihara)-

Designer NAO has such a deep love for lingerie and believes in its power that she says, "I think of lingerie as my alter ego." This is because, from her own experience of being saved by lingerie, she feels that lingerie is a protector of the heart and has the power to "protect one's pride and dignity."

NAO LINGERIE's work reflects her rich sensitivity and her constant pursuit of excellence. For example, each piece is imbued with a warm design and message. The collection "My perfect score" includes messages like "Stop comparing yourself to others and get your own perfect score," and "Healing Pink" includes messages like "Your beautiful heart can heal other people's hearts." These encouraging messages have provided positive encouragement to many people.

When it comes to craftsmanship, he is involved in every aspect of production, never compromises, and always approaches things honestly. In addition, both of his parents ran small factories, so he grew up helping out the craftsmen, which gave him a great respect for artisans, and he continues to create with a strong desire to spread Japanese technology to the world.

MESSAGE from NAO

Hello everyone. Thank you for your interest in Nao Lingerie. I would like to introduce the source of my inspiration.

I am interested in the minds and actions of people who continually seek happiness and satisfaction.
"I want to live happily without getting hurt" - I think that's what many people wish for.

While each person has their own definition and goal of happiness, what is essentially important for everyone is that in this very moment, their pride and dignity are protected. So, what is dignity? What does it mean for dignity to be protected? It means that people are respected by others as valuable beings, and that they are able to live freely, safely, and with no possibilities excluded.

I hope that we can live in a society where everyone can think, "I have value, I am worth living," but if we were to list words that are the exact opposite of dignity, I would say exclusion, discrimination, bullying, abuse, slavery, domination, etc. These are things that happen all around us every day.

People are weak and fragile, yet strong and resilient. We can laugh, have imagination and compassion for others, but we are also full of desires and contradictions. We dream of a life where we can fully understand this human nature, use reason and intelligence, and live together helping each other.

There is no need to position yourself in a hierarchy created by someone else . There is no need to be someone's victim. May you be able to walk with the people you care about in a place where your dignity is protected. May your heart be filled with calm and kindness. I myself hope to be able to let go of my ego and become a person who can live in harmony with others.

These thoughts are reflected in the design and series name. We hope that everyone's pride and dignity will be protected.

PROFILE

Instagram

Nao Kawashima (Kurihara)
Representative Director and Designer, Executive Director of the Japan Lingerie Association

Driven by the desire to "raise Japan's status and image in the world," he aimed to become a diplomat, and after graduating from Gakushuin University's Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science, he worked as a part-time civil servant (part-time) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After that, he worked at a private architectural think tank before moving to a management strategy consulting firm, where he was involved in promoting traditional Japanese crafts and starting businesses from scratch.

After retiring, she went to Milan to study lingerie design. After returning to Japan, she designed lingerie inspired by Japanese craftsmanship and launched "NAO LINGERIE" at Shanghai Fashion Week in 2013.

In 2018, a dedicated sales area was set up at Nihonbashi Takashimaya, which was unusual for an independent lingerie brand.

With the goal of sharing Japan's excellent craftsmanship with the world through lingerie and protecting women's dignity, the company continues to create Made-in-Japan lingerie that combines beauty and functionality.

In addition to donating underwear to children in orphanages, in 2021 they produced products in collaboration with the international cooperation NGO Joyful Heart project " I LADY. " They are also working to enable purchasers to participate in donations to orphanages.

He continues to disseminate information about human dignity through his YouTube program "About Dignity - Still Thinking About It" and his podcast "Dignity Channel - the Dignity."

・YouTube
https://youtube.com/channel/UCrOH9KdauS0SN4R7K4rr04A

・Apple Podcast
https://anchor.fm/naokurihara/episodes/01-Podcast-e1fbjee

・Spotify Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/2C9K2LgVUvSo38KF0PtTmf?si=_sPsnVplQ7WFlKJSmG-sng

・stand FM
https://stand.fm/channels/6226e57662fdf0d8009ac774

<TV Appearances>

・TV Tokyo Gaia no Yoake "Beautiful Underwear War" October 2018
https://txbiz.tv-tokyo.co.jp/gaia/vod/post_164204

・Kansai TV "Seven Rules" August 2017 ・Fuji TV "Pop Up!" June 2022 ・TV Asahi "Superhuman Girls" September 2018 ・TBS "I Met Other People" October 15, 2019, etc. <Magazines>
・"Forbes" August 2021
https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/42981/1/1/1

Others include "25ans," "anan," and "WWD."

▶︎ YouTube program "On Dignity - Still Thinking About It."

What is a free life?
What is human "dignity"?
We will be discussing this question in a friendly, yet surprisingly serious, atmosphere.