The Inheritance of Traditional Japanese Eyewear Craftsmanship - Yuichi Waiyama, the Owner of USH In Japan, there are man

The Inheritance of Traditional Japanese Eyewear Craftsmanship - Yuichi Waiyama, the Owner of USH In Japan, there are many talented people in the handmade eyewear industry, among which Yuichi Toyama, the founder of the USH (Under Spiritual Horn) brand, is recognized as a new powerful person in Japan. As early as 1993, Yuichi Waiyama began to engage in eyewear design, participated in the glasses design work of VIKTOR & ROLF and officially established USH in 2009, at the beginning of its establishment, with a unique cut Acetate frame combined with Titanium's changeable treatment, in the simple design style to show a large number of details and the antler logo on the frame and other details, has won many international eyewear design awards in Japan quickly became famous, Even Satoshi Tsumigi and Nozomi Sasaki are "USH" fans.

Deer antlers have different symbolic meanings in the early human societies of the world, and in ancient China, antlers were regarded as evil spirits and auspicious objects; In the concept of Native Americans, the antlers symbolize the tree of life and the rays of the sun, and for Yuichi Wayama's "W Horn" brand logo, the antlers are a symbol of spirit and soul, as well as their personality and essence, and he also hopes that USH glasses can become the wearer's personal characteristics, like antlers to express a strong personal identity, so that everyone can make a deep first impression when they meet.

In terms of design, Yuichi Waiyama echoes the geometric lines of the corners themselves, and enhances the three-dimensional sense of the frame through the "asymmetrical" aesthetic design, and combines the design elements of touch, vision and sensation in the production workshop in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, where professional craftsmen create a pair of frames full of "edges and corners".

This time, [HYPEBEAST] specially asked the designer behind the "antlers" to explain it personally. How did you first get into eyewear? After more than 20 years of eyewear making, how does it feel? After graduating, I became interested in eyewear design at an eyewear company in Fukui, where I worked in the design department in Tokyo, and began to work in the handmade glasses industry.

Over the past 25 years, I've been thinking about how to combine new designs with traditional eyewear, and striking the right balance is still a question I've been thinking about to this day. What makes a good pair of glasses for you? A good pair of glasses must first feel like I want to put them on the first time I see them, I think a good design must be elegant and elegant, suitable for everyone across genders and races, and add a little bit of surprising detail, these elements are what I think are good glasses.

What do you think is the most exquisite thing about handmade eyeglasses in Japan? In addition to Fukui Prefecture, Japan, which is a very dynamic town in the local handmade eyewear industry, there are many small factories with a long history in Japan with first-class eyewear craftsmen, who do not like big brands and factories to pay attention to production efficiency but pay attention to technical training, every very small detail must go through complicated hand-made procedures and time-consuming polishing to create a good pair of glasses, I think this is also the spirit of "craftsman".

How do you strike a balance between craftsmanship and trends? I think Craftsmanship has always been the most important thing, and I go to the factory every day to talk to the people about the production and the design part is left to the design team to be responsible for grinding and adjusting the ideas and techniques, and finding the balance to keep the work innovative.

With the rapid development of technology in the future, what do you think will become of the development of traditional Japanese eyewear craftsmanship? I believe that the tradition of the traditional Japanese eyewear industry will not be hindered by technology, and we also need traditional craftsmanship and good design. "Retro Style", which will continue to be popular in the coming year, requires new ideas and innovative elements in traditional designs, which is something that USH has been working on so that this beautiful craftsmanship can be continued, and it may also need the help of technology.

You have won awards at different international optical exhibitions, do you feel that you have a sense of mission to promote Japanese eyewear to the world? The answer is yes, this is a part of my daily work, not only to promote the USH brand, but also to the Japanese craftsmanship and design behind it, and even the idea of combining fashion and lifestyle, I want to show it in different places and countries.

What are the new goals of USH in the future? Next year marks my 25th year in the industry, and I have just launched my first sunglasses collection, "Shadow", a new series that I am very proud of, and I have started this independent "professional" sunglasses series by incorporating the traditional Japanese technique of making optical frames and the use of plates into the design of sunglasses.

I think in the coming year I will try some new glasses with some friends in the industry such as Naissance and Visual Culture, so you can wait and see.