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The Livejournal of Zakka
Created on 2003-03-14 20:13:56 (#949138), last updated 2009-06-11
3,601 comments received, 6,115 comments posted
Basic Account [Gift]
709 Journal Entries, 1 Tag, 6 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 5 Userpics
Basic Info| Name: | Zak |
|---|---|
| Website: | http://www.zakgreene.com/portfolio |
Contact:
zak@zakgreene.com BioIt could be a wooden clothespin by an obscure company in New Hampshire, it could be an empty tomato-paste can saved for planting basil. Zakka is the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane; it's also the act of paying hard cash for such things as can openers in "skeleton pink" (think iMac translucence), just so one's friends will know they're dealing with someone who pays extra for a minor sensory pleasure.
On one level the zakka boom is just another in a series of consumer fads, but on another it's plugged into something spiritual. The Japanese are not into self-expression, but the zakka boom shows they are quite willing to let floor cushions do the talking for them: expensive floor cushions, made by a particular manufacturer, selected with loving attention and displayed just so.
The zakka market is estimated at ¥2 billion to ¥4 billion ($1.6 million to $3.2 million). Its elusiveness is defined by the fact that it's often hard to define a zakka item from mere household sundries. For example, a plastic ashtray will not qualify as a zakka but a plastic ashtray picked up in a flea market in Paris with "Pernod" inscribed on top, is zakka at the maximum level. The dividing line is often nothing more than a teenage customer going "ooooh," but that line is more difficult to cross than it looks.
Tadao Kushimatsu, an analyst at the Hakuhodo Inc. advertising agency, says: "Cute is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, laden with subtexts. The competition is getting stiffer all the time and that means the consumers are getting smarter. I'd say that the zakka market is currently one of the most challenging in the fashion industry."
On one level the zakka boom is just another in a series of consumer fads, but on another it's plugged into something spiritual. The Japanese are not into self-expression, but the zakka boom shows they are quite willing to let floor cushions do the talking for them: expensive floor cushions, made by a particular manufacturer, selected with loving attention and displayed just so.
The zakka market is estimated at ¥2 billion to ¥4 billion ($1.6 million to $3.2 million). Its elusiveness is defined by the fact that it's often hard to define a zakka item from mere household sundries. For example, a plastic ashtray will not qualify as a zakka but a plastic ashtray picked up in a flea market in Paris with "Pernod" inscribed on top, is zakka at the maximum level. The dividing line is often nothing more than a teenage customer going "ooooh," but that line is more difficult to cross than it looks.
Tadao Kushimatsu, an analyst at the Hakuhodo Inc. advertising agency, says: "Cute is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, laden with subtexts. The competition is getting stiffer all the time and that means the consumers are getting smarter. I'd say that the zakka market is currently one of the most challenging in the fashion industry."
ConnectSchools:
North Farmington High School - Farmington Hills, MI (2002 - 2006)Rhode Island School of Design - Providence, RI (2006 - present)
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