Blooming Nakanishi Ltd.
General Manager, Hotel Business Department
Mr Ikeda
A sense of togetherness that has lasted for more than 30 years
（Blooming Nakanishi Ltd. Mr. Ikeda：the below I）When I started here, the business was almost entirely made up of tablecloth sales, and most of the catalogues for the tablecloths and napkins were from Mr. Hatly’s catalogue, so it was as if I was asking Mr. Hatly about everything, including enquiries and studies. It was like we were already a sales company.
（Hatly Textile Mr.Hatly：the below H）Certainly, like a production company and a sales company. It was like a single entity, wasn’t it?
（I）I was also consulted on all manufacturing, and of course there were conditions on the production side, so reconciling these was a daily task or routine.
（I）I have also been in the industry for a long time, almost 30 years now, but there is probably no one else who is as enthusiastic and knowledgeable about products as President Hattori, and I fell in love with his personality because he took great care of me, even though I was just 22 years old when I joined the company.
Of course, the strength of our products is a major factor, but I think it is also because of that that we have been able to have a long-lasting relationship with him.
Manufacturer’s proposal-based manufacturing
（I）There are times when we tell them what we want, but I think the pattern has been more like President Hattori making a preliminary proposal and then we proceed with the discussion based on that.
（I）It’s not an industry where new products come out that quickly. I think the theme of this industry is to create products that can be used for a long time, even after 50 years,
When we give feedback to the president of the company on what we think of or information we get from the market, he commercialises it in various ways… and so on, and product development is carried out through repetition of this process.
（I）GOTS (certification of organic textiles) is like that.
We are a sales company and do not have our own factory, so it is difficult for us to work without the cooperation of such a company. We are a sales company and don’t have our own factory, so it is difficult for us to do some things without the cooperation of such places, and it is difficult to say this with Mr Hattori in front of us, but we have worked directly with various factories, and Mr. Hatly is the one who can tackle things positively, So I often get approached first for new product development or new businesses in those areas.
When it comes to quality, the last resort is Hatly Textiles.
（I）Of course, the technology is the best, but the fact that you somehow try to give it shape, or rather, create something even better with even more passion than we do, is really something that only Hatly can do.
On the contrary, do you really want to be that particular about it? I’m like, ‘Yes, I do.
（I）We also dare to ask for products that we want to be particular about. For example, it is not quite right to ask Mr. Hatly to make a product that can be made anywhere, such as a product that is only about price.
If we were to become the first company in Japan to obtain international certification in this industry, we would need the help of Mr. Hatly, wouldn’t we?
When I decided to create a brand in this industry, I knew I could only rely on Hatly.
I thought about manufacturing from there.
（I）Our team often made products with the support of our customers, so there were very few products that we could spontaneously transmit to the public, but we decided that this was not good enough, and when we wanted to make products that we could transmit, we thought that Mr. Hatly was the only person we could work with. We spent about two years developing various products such as sheets, UV covers and pillowcases.
（I）I wanted to create something that would continue to be a royal line 100 years from now, and I felt that Mr. Hatly had helped me to find that path.
Good and genuine craftsmanship. The maker and the buyer.
（I）The main reason for our industry’s survival is probably the importance of linen as a reason for choosing a hotel room. At the moment, most of the comments are about the environment in which you are staying, the amenities and the bed, but we need to do more activities to raise values, so that we can hear more comments such as ‘I liked the sheets for the comfort’. I don’t want to leave it up to Hatly, but I think we, or rather the industry, need to boost it.
（I）My feeling is that we are now going backwards in time, or rather, that while the industry itself is booming, the values there are falling rapidly.
‘No, no, you don’t have to be so particular about it! You’ve got guests coming in, you can make a nice hotel, but you can’t just use cheap sheets. I feel that more and more people are saying, ‘No one understands that. I think we need a bit more differentiation and I would like to see a higher level of awareness of using such products for hotels that have value.
（H）We should all unite and make it a Giza Club® everywhere.
（I）That’s how many more upscale hotels should be built. After all, there are not many luxury hotels in Japan, even from a global perspective. If more and more such hotels are built, their value may increase.
Towards a development that captures the flow of sustainability.
（I）Sustainable. Like factories that specialise in the environment. Also, ultra-small lots. I think that the global trend is to give consideration to the environment, so I think that will be an issue in the future. I think Japan is particularly behind.
（I）International certification called GOTS. There are more than 10,000 companies worldwide, but there are still only about 20 in Japan. The reason for this is that Japanese factories are divided into different branches of labour.
Sewing and weaving is done here, dyeing is done here, etc., so in that sense it is difficult to obtain certification. I think it is very difficult to link this to traceability.But Hatly’s place is an integrated production, so they have the ability to take GOTS. It’s very easy to work with them.
（I）We need to stimulate the sustainable direction of luxury hotels by creating something that is not done very often abroad, or in short, they can make announcements to their guests.
We need to provide them with the tools to commercialise themselves. I feel that we have to present that much. It’s not enough just to sell things.
（I）Six Senses and Banyan Tree are sustainable luxury hotels, but they are very thorough. We don’t use plastic in our hotels any more. No more plastic bottles of water in the rooms. We don’t even buy condiments. And then, for example, all the seasonings, like olives, are made in-house in the fields behind the hotel, and the leftover food from the hotel is used as fertiliser.
That’s why it’s so frustrating that we haven’t even come to linen yet. The thing is that they are that thorough, but the sheets and towels are different.
Stability of quality that is not blurred compared to foreign manufacturers.
（I）For example, even if you use the same yarn and the same standard, for example, if you make a product abroad, it may be better or worse the next time you buy it, even though you use the same yarn and the same standard. It may be different from the first time. Or it’s different from the sample. This happens frequently.
But Hatly has been stable at a high level for a long time, which I think is a considerable weapon.
Maybe if you buy a Giza Club 300 today in five years’ time, things will be the same, so that’s not easy to do.
（I）The other thing is the durability, or rather the quality is not likely to change after washing. It doesn’t get hard easily or, on the contrary, I think it gets better. It becomes softer.
Even if it is soft, it is not terroir, it is firm and stable all the time, and the more you use it, the more it becomes like that. People are particular about denim and shirts, aren’t they? It’s durable even after being washed, and the details are… I guess that’s the image I have of it.
（H）It was very helpful. Thank you very much!