Rich leather punctuated by regularly spaced rivets. Corners drawn with smooth curves. Seamless connecting edges. The material, which reflects light with a glitter and is riddled with bold, round holes, is a lightweight metal such as duralumin or aluminum alloy. Surprisingly that metal alloy and the smooth, organic leather are connected with stitches, yes, a needle has sewn the two together. There are always some products that any person with a fetish for things naturally migrates to, regardless of individual taste. This object, crowned with the brand name Aero Concept, is without a doubt one of those products.
From smaller objects like attaché cases, traveling bags, business card holders, and eyeglass cases, to tables and light fixtures, and even guitar cases, there is a single tone that underlies everything. There is nothing here that suggests humility. Everything is wrapped in an indescribable aura. That can be seen in just one instant. Bring one of these objects into a public place and anyone is sure to notice its presence. If you think I’m exaggerating, just take one of the brand’s products in your hand and walk outside to see for yourself. You’ll feel so many eyes on you; you’ll be forgiven if you allow yourself the illusion that it is you personally who has suddenly become the popular one. This product is clearly poison. People who hate it, hate it from the bottom of their hearts. But there are many people who fall under the spell of that poison. Mixing with a toxic brand is asking for trouble. No matter how badly it suits your stature, no matter how low you are on cash, once you’re hooked on that poison, you can’t rest until you’ve laid your hands on more products from the collection. The next thing you know, you’re fondling the product, and in your heart, your sense of self and your sense of the product start getting muddled together. For cameras, it’s Leica. For cars, it’s Porsche. For computers, it’s Apple.
How to describe the sense of such a designer. If there is such a thing as a formula for good design, it won’t be found here. Use of minimal lines, authentic materials, coexistence of usefulness and beauty, that kind of silly talk has no place before this presence. There’s a saying in Japanese that goes, “it will shut up even a crying child” which describes a situation when something or someone is so fundamentally moving that even an innocent and self-centered child feels its presence. It’s not a situation you experience often. Even so, the products of this brand, Aero Concept, possess the kind of black magic that can stop a child’s tears. This phenomenon continues to happen whenever Aero Concept enters the picture, astonishing the people it comes in contact with.
The person who made this line of products isn’t a designer. He’s never studied design, and in fact he has never even encountered that world at all. His name is Keiichi Sugano. He was born in Tokyo’s Minato Ward in 1951. These days, that neighborhood has a fashionable reputation, but in fact there are two sides to the area. The elevated land is covered in expensive homes, but the lowlands have always been a workingman’s neighborhood. Mr. Sugano was born in the latter. He runs a metal works in this rough and tumble part of town. It’s this tradesman from a working-class neighborhood who created Aero Concept.
We met as a reporter and a subject. At that time I was devoted to my work interviewing people about making things for a web magazine. It’s rare that an interviewer and a subject will make a true connection. Even more unusual is a person who will keep you up to date with his work long after the interview is over. A journalist has a duty to not get to close to those he is reporting about, acting strictly as a receptor of words and information, remaining objective and unbiased. Communicating with one’s subjects in an intimate manner is verboten. A loose connection, not too close and not too distant, is ideal. But in his case, he naturally managed to straddle that line. Even though he sent regular updates, they weren’t exceedingly friendly, nor were they too officious. They were passionate yet brief reports. Neither chatty nor overtly self-promoting, it was an entirely different communication style. He was frank and warm, yet cool and sophisticated. Very befitting of both a craftsman and a child of old Tokyo.
I got an email from him in the summer, which read as follows,
“We’ve entered the Bon festival period, and every day we just sit around and complain about the heat. The person who ordered a vanity case for Uma Thurman has contacted me again with a request from George Clooney to make an eyeglass case and a handbag. They said he doesn’t like bright colors, so grey or black is best. I told them it would cost more for a custom job, and the reply was, “the cost doesn’t matter.” So I’m spending these hot summer days thinking about what kind of bag would suit George Clooney.”
Uma Thurman and George Clooney, Sean Lennon, beloved son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Porsche and Fender, Beams and United Arrows, Comme des Garcons and Louis Vuitton. The words that sometimes come out of his mouth aren’t those that befit a guy in his fifties who runs a metal works. But he’s not a swooning fan of Hollywood celebrity, nor is he a middle-aged fashionista trying to get in with a young crowd by acting cool. He’s simply talking about a certain phenomenon that has come into his life.
“Everyone says, “Sugano, this Aero Concept thing is really taking off, isn’t it?” But all I can say in return is, “Yeah, it is. Isn’t that amazing?” Because it is. Heck, I was the last person to think this would happen.”
