The story behind the creation of Ecru

When I was little, my mother, who was good at dressmaking, always made matching clothes for my sisters.
I didn't think it was anything special.

But now, when I think about it, I realize that it was a very precious and special experience.

Actually, I have had a variety of work experiences.

・Experience as a "wedding flower coordinator" for a once-in-a-lifetime wedding

After that, I became interested in the completely different field of "web world" and felt there was potential in it.
I've been tasked with turning my customers' wishes into reality on the web.

Before I started working on the web,
I didn't know anything about computers at all, so it was a completely unknown world to me.

Although I was working in two completely different fields, I soon realized that I was working in both fields.
"From nothing, we create what our customers want"
That was the job.

And they were always "special, special items."

Making use of the experience I have gained,
"Analog (handmade) x Digital (Web)"
By combining

"Special, exceptional manufacturing"
I began to think that it would be nice to be able to do something about this.

Deciding to open an online store

So I started thinking about having an online shop.
But actually, what kind of shop should I make?
The most important thing was that the "product" hadn't been decided yet?!

I had decided to open an online shop,
It all started with me deciding to just open an online shop, thinking about what to sell in a strange order.

At first, I thought it would be great if I could make clothes like my mother did, so I pulled out my sewing machine, which I had never used before.
She spends her days immersed in making clothes using various patterns.

At that time, my mother had already passed away, so I don't think she ever imagined that something like this would happen.
When I was little, I wasn't bad at dressmaking,
Compared to other people, I think I was the type who could do it well if I tried properly.
But I never took the initiative.
For some reason I don't really like it...

While making clothes,
I learned that "patterns" are very deep,
I also studied by taking a thorough correspondence course in dressmaking at Bunka Fashion College.

You can wear "handmade" clothes,
It was a completely different feeling of satisfaction than with a ready-made product.

Also,
It's not a design that you can find anywhere
Clothes that are designed with attention to detail have a special feel to them.

Like this
"Special manufacturing"
I began to think that I would like to plan and try it myself.

As I made various clothes,
I also became interested in "fabrics" and by chance came across the internet,
What a cute floral pattern! That's when I discovered "Liberty Print."

There are many floral designs,
Just looking at it online, I could see its charm: such a delicate, beautiful, and cute floral pattern is completely different from anything else.

A common appeal with flowers

And there are so many different kinds of Liberty prints.
I learned that each pattern has a name.

There are many kinds of "roses" that bloom in nature, and each one has its own "name."
Even though they are all white roses, there are subtle variations in white, and they differ in size and blooming pattern.

When I was working with flowers,
When making a wedding bouquet,
According to the image of the bouquet,
The rose varieties were carefully selected and used.

Each one has a name,
There are many types, and each one is carefully designed.
I felt like there were similarities between flowers and Liberty prints, and I was drawn to their charm.

And, we are fortunate to have some wonderful shops in Kobe that sell Liberty prints,
I actually went to see the fabric.
I had a hard time deciding which pattern to choose, but it was fun choosing.
I bought some small scraps without knowing what I would use them for.
I still remember the excitement I felt when I held the actual fabric in my hands.

Much later,
The blouse I bought a while ago
I realized that it was actually a Liberty print garment.
It's somehow different from other clothes,
It's a very soft and comfortable material,
I thought the floral pattern was lovely and really liked it.

I feel that the clothes I make myself turn out better when I use Liberty prints than any other fabric.
I found myself becoming more and more fascinated by it.

Each pattern has its own origin and concept.
Another reason I was attracted to it was that it had a story.

Of course the clothes are great,
I haven't yet solidified my image for selling it on an online shop.

We thought that a better product would be something with more freedom and the ability to create a variety of designs, and that was "bags."

When you go out, you always have a bag with you,
By its style,
I was attracted to the idea that it is an item that can lift your mood for the day.

Unlike clothes, it is not affected by body shape,
There are no set sizes, so it can be developed into a variety of products.

With that in mind, I decided to open an online shop for handmade bags.
That was the beginning of "Ecru".

However, to use it for a bag,
Liberty print is a very thin fabric,
How can you make it look great on a bag?
How can we make it look good when it is finished?
This means that we continued to spend our days trying and failing.

Create and sell "special items"
I started it because I wanted to have an online shop.

"Special Items" are special original items that are only available at our store.

As with my previous work experience, "taking your wishes into account and giving them shape"
Currently, you can choose your favorite fabric and taste,
This can be achieved through an "order" format.

It opened on April 11, 2011.
The day before my mother's death anniversary,
I thought for sure I would never forget either of them.

When we first opened, I think there were very few people who owned and operated their own online shops for handmade products.
Of course, we still have our own shop,
It's not easy to run.

But I've had experience working on the web,
I have always believed that I could not compromise on my desire to run an online shop that I could properly manage myself.

Are you still doing it properly?
I don't know if that's true, but...
That it continues like this,
And we are grateful to all of you who use our services.

From the beginning, it has always been in my mind
Not an "artist" who creates "works",
We want to be a "shop" that makes high-quality "products."

I continue to think that way and continue to operate the business today.

There was no problem with making the bag,
To tell the truth, at first I was very bad at making small items like pouches.

I feel like it's the same thing, but for some reason I'm not good with small items.
I really want ideas for pouches and such.
They never come out, and even when they are made, they are always mediocre.

But, no matter how you look at it, if you want to run a shop,
Small items are definitely necessary,
This is a challenge that needs to be overcome!

With that in mind, I got the hang of it through trial and error, and now I don't feel bad about it at all.
We are currently able to offer a wider variety of pouches and other items than you would expect.

There is nothing I can't do,
That's one of the things that made me think that way.

As we continued to operate, we received many requests from customers, and gradually established a style of "order-based" service.

Initially, the style was developed as a single bag, but now it is a style that includes matching accessories.
We are sharing the charm of this style through our "coordinated order" service .

Many people know about our store because they love Liberty prints.

In ecru
Proposing "a colorful everyday life,"
We want our products to become a part of your everyday life.
We operate with this goal in mind.
With this in mind, we have recently decided to incorporate "Kobe tartan" into our products.

We deliver products from here in Kobe.

Our store is basically an online store only.
But when you deliver the product,
Everyone seems to be very excited and looking forward to it,

Where does it arrive from?
I hope you'll look forward to it.

We operate our business with the hope that one of the attractions of our products is that they are delivered from Kobe.

More attractive items,
To reach as many people as possible,
I would like to continue to work hard in the future.