Nevertheless, why is Seltz Limited so obsessed with manufacturing in special factories in other countries where communication is not smooth and production control is difficult? Amateurs start to wonder if it is really impossible to make the same thing in Japan. In fact, although it is not widely known, President Nakagawa himself worked at a famous bag and accessory manufacturing company that manufactured and sold domestically before founding Seltz Limited.

There are inconveniences such as language, time difference, and physical distance, and it is clear that domestic factories where you can communicate with each other are much easier to work in than foreign factories where you will not do more than what is requested. Why did President Nakagawa-led Celts Limited obsess over immature overseas manufacturing while giving up those advantages? There are two answers. One is that the spirit of hair, in a good sense, exists in Celts Limited, a company led by President Nakagawa. President Nakagawa is still in his mid-40s, so he cannot be said to be part of the generation shocked by the legendary Mook Bon 'Made in USA', but he was influenced by the import shops and select shops created by that 'Made in USA' generation during his sensitive youth.

Due to that influence, he has been obsessed with many Made in USA products. If he is going to be involved in making things anyway, he wants to try the Made in USA products that he admired. Perhaps he had that kind of desire somewhere. However, this is a secondary reason. President Nakagawa realized something. That is, in order to establish a genuine brand that advocates Made in USA, it must be made in the USA. In the end, he realized firsthand that if he did not, he would end up with a fake. Of course, if you think about it commercially, there is a market and demand where even a fake can succeed. However, Seltz Limited did not initially aim for commercial success targeting such a customer base or market. The goal was select shops or specialty stores with discerning buyers who he desperately wanted to work with someday, and the customers were sophisticated users who were willing to open their wallets for good products.

In that case, rather than aiming for the ultimate fake that cannot be the real thing no matter how hard you try, you have no choice but to make it in the original country from the beginning. If it is an unknown OEM, you can hold a well-made bag in a domestic factory as I was impressed, but that is probably why Seltz Limited was obsessed with Made in USA when it created the first original label, Labs. It is not an abstract story that a fake cannot become the real Made in USA no matter how hard you try and think.

And this leads to differences in sewing allowance or folding width of reinforcing grosgrain tape, which ultimately leads to critical differences in the finished shape, feel, and sometimes even function. If it is simply made with a sturdy fabric, there are fewer sewing patterns, so naturally there are fewer threads coming loose or tearing. The fact that LL Bean’s tote bag can carry ice or water also comes from this mentality and culture. According to Sosuzume, even in the case of briefings, it was quite difficult to get used to adapting Japanese specifications to the mindset and sewing specifications of American factories. In this way, making things in the US and Japan is similar yet completely different, and this is ultimately reflected in the finished product, giving it its own individuality.

Although their bases are different in Japan and the US, Briefing is also obsessed with Made in USA, probably for the same reason that Takeshi Obuchi's 'Post Overalls', Daiki Suzuki of Nepenthes NY's 'Engineered Garments', and Yuki Matsuda's 'Yuketen' were obsessed with Made in USA in the past.

This idea of ​​valuing production bases seems to be supported by President Nakagawa's strong will to make products by utilizing the country's unique craftsman culture, production background, materials, machinery, technology, and people as his company's business. Furthermore, it is supported by ambition and dreams that can be said to be the complete opposite of the way of focusing on costs and easily rushing to Asian production with low labor costs.

"I often think about what kind of fun things we could do if it were Made in the USA, Made in Italy, Made in England, Made in France, and Made in Germany. Through the briefing, I was able to prove that it is not a dream at all. So from the same point of view, I think that in the future, I would like to work with excellent factories and craftsmen from various countries to create attractive original brands, or grow more brands that we can be proud of in the world."

About 5 or 6 years ago, I suddenly remembered what President Nakagawa had said while he was drunk and happily talking about a future that was either a dream or an ambition.

If it's a dream, I'd like to mention Brief's entry into the US last. Brief has been sold at Ron Herman, a specialty store representing the West Coast, for several years, and it's said to be quite popular. In 2010, MELROSE LUGGAGE STORE opened in a corner of Fred Segal where Ron Herman is. This is a luggage and accessory specialty store that handles Rimoa, Comme des Garçons, and more in addition to Brief. In addition, since M5, a well-known company in the clothing industry, became Brief's agent in the US, the number of stores handling it in New York is increasing. The fact that a product planned by a Japanese who admired America and manufactured in an American factory is loved by Americans is a dream come true for the brand called Brief.

In addition, the briefing also uses textiles such as ballistic nylon (a strong 1050 denier ballistic woven with a special double basket wave that allows the fibers to resilient even when small holes are poked with an ice pick, etc.) and Cordura nylon from DuPont (now a registered trademark of Invista) which is known as a military material and has seven times the durability of nylon, and also uses red lines placed on nylon tape or joint tape that have reinforcement and visibility that comply with military specifications, and metal parts with plastic coating that prevents reflection so that the enemy does not identify the location, etc., to thoroughly enforce authenticity.