HERALBONY & PEOPLE is a series of interviews with people who support HERALBONY. In this series, we will interview people from all walks of life who resonate with HERALBONY's activities and business.

The sixth installment features actress Shino Ikenami. For Ms. Ikenami, who has been a long-time fan of HERALBONY's products, what does it mean to "wear art"? When asked about her first encounter with HERALBONY at the beginning of the interview, she shared an anecdote about her husband, Akira Nakao, who passed away in May last year.

Encountering HERALBONY outside the context of "welfare"

――The "Kuromaru" bow-tie blouse you're wearing suits you wonderfully.

Shino Ikenami (hereafter, Ikenami): Thank you. The first HERALBONY item I bought was also a classic blouse featuring Sanae Sasaki's work "Kuromaru." Along with that, I got a silk scarf (Keisuke Mori's "Ballad of Youth") and several handkerchiefs. At the time, I thought, "I wish there were more product options," but now the lineup is growing steadily. It's almost a struggle to keep up with new releases (laughs).

――So, you're a regular user of HERALBONY products. Could you tell us about your first encounter with HERALBONY?

Ikenami: I don't clearly remember when I first learned about HERALBONY. However, what left an impression was seeing HERALBONY's art displayed on the temporary fences of a construction site a few years ago while I was traveling (*). I remember talking with Akira (Nakao), who was sitting next to me in the car, saying, "What's that?" and "That's nice." At the time, I didn't know HERALBONY's concept, and we talked about how the powerful style must be the work of young artists.

Because of that encounter, I actually didn't become interested in HERALBONY from the context of "welfare."

*The "WALL ART MUSEUM" project transforms temporary white fences at construction sites into an art museum by decorating them with art from HERALBONY's contracted artists.

The appeal of craftsmanship that preserves the texture of art

Ikenami: After that, I saw HERALBONY in more and more places, such as on TV programs that featured them and even on paper cups with HERALBONY art on a JAL flight. That's when I read the CEO's book, "Let Your Colors Shine: HERALBONY Changes the World Through Welfare x Art," and learned about the company's origins and background.

Looking back, it's a shame I couldn't have a proper conversation about HERALBONY with Nakao-san. For about a year before he passed away, his health fluctuated, and during that time, we didn't have the leisure to enjoy art together. If he were well now, I'm sure we would have wanted to visit the store in Ginza together. We visited many art museums together in the past. Nakao-san also had a deep connection with the Tohoku region and visited it frequently after the earthquake. I'm sure he would have said, "I want to go" to HERALBONY ISAI PARK in Morioka.

After Nakao-san passed away last spring, I was quite dejected for a while, but some time later, I visited the "HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition" held at the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation East Building. That was the first time I saw the original artworks.

――So, you encountered HERALBONY purely as art and became interested in it?

Ikenami: That's right. In addition, I was also drawn to the craftsmanship that allows one to feel the breath of the art.

I love museums regardless of the genre, but frankly speaking, some of the goods and items sold in museum shops can be quite disappointing. They just print the art pattern, and it becomes something completely different from the original art. However, with HERALBONY's items, the power and charm of the artwork itself are never diminished.

When I read the book, there was an anecdote about how the CEO, when making his first tie, visited Ginza Taya, wanting to achieve a quality that conveyed the texture and depth of the artwork, and I completely agreed. I had always wanted to wear items that treated art with respect and were crafted with meticulous care, and HERALBONY was exactly what I had been looking for.