FEATURE 144

Handmade and Craftsmanship by TAKES HANDS

FEATURE 144

Handmade and Craftsmanship by TAKES HANDS
I asked Take from TAKES HANDS to create straps and bags as Hydro Flask accessories. I met Take through my cousin Sean. It all began when he made masks and personal bags for me.
TAKE
At first, I made a bag for you that you could carry around every day.
TET
That’s right, a bag that allows me to organize my everyday belongings by considering what I usually carry daily and what I would put in it. That’s how it started. Since then, I’ve looked forward to the times you bring me one of your handmade bags as a gift. So what got you into bag making?

TAKE
I made bags and accessories as a hobby and gave them as gifts to friends overseas. Then Keola, a designer at FITTED in Hawaii, reached out to me and we started making items together, which was the opportunity to start in earnest. Keola was also introduced to me by Sean.
TET
I see Keola always uses them. Everyone enjoys these organizers, right? But isn’t it difficult to make three-dimensional objects?
TAKE
It’s fun because I start by thinking about the pattern. Sometimes I cut styrofoam and use it as the mold, and stick pins in it with sheeting.
TET
The materials are always intricate too. How do you find them?

TAKE
For example, I take apart vintage jackets or military reflective gear and make them into fabrics. The other day, I happened to come across a fabric made from Kevlar fiber, a fabric made by the Swiss company Schoeller, at a fabric store in Shibuya that I’ve been going to for a long time. (laughs) For this project, we collected sails from yachts that were no longer in use and turned them into fabric. Some parts of the fabric have stamp markings on them, so each piece is like a one-of-a-kind.

TET
I like bags made for professional use. They are made for a specific purpose. They seem to have a limited purpose at first glance, but they are very purposeful.
TAKE
Like the bags made for a specific model of radio.
TET
Also, a bag to put a GPS tracker or something similar in. Nowadays, we have one cell phone, but back in the day, there were all types of gadgets to carry and a bag for them.

TAKE
There are a lot of equipment and gear enthusiasts in Japan who enjoy gadgets from the military and Special Forces, but this may not be the case in the US.
TET
A bag is used for storage, so it’s important to know what goes where and for what purpose. Your bags are designed with that purpose, parts and accessories in mind and I think you have a great sense and know a lot about them.
TAKE
I often look at parts from overseas, but YKK from Japan is also great. When I look through the catalog, there are only pictures and dimensions, so I often wonder how to implement it. First, I imagine how I’ll use it, then, when I’m actually in the process of making it, I think about how it might be best used in a certain manner.

TET
Your curiosity is amazing. You source the parts, test them and then create.
TAKE
When it comes time to sell a product, I have to make manuals for them too.
TET
Even designing the manuals is exciting. Don’t you want to test the products you’ve made, more out in the field?
TAKE
I’d love to do that.
TET
The items we made together this time look like this when they’re fully equipped. Local girls in Hawaii decorate large water bottles with keychains and other things in a unique way. That was the image source inspiration. We put a ready-made rubber band on a Hydro Flask bottle and attached a strap to it. You can then add various pouches and cases. If you attach the strap, you can carry it hands-free.

TAKE
With a summer theme, there is a case for lip balm and coins, a card case for your hotel key card. The pouch can be attached to your Hydro Flask bottle so you can store all your little things.
TET
The woven on the strap looks great too. The individuality of a brand comes from the choice of zippers, pull tabs, D-rings and other basic accessories. That’s why you have to look at a lot of things like you do, or you can’t do it. And it’s all handmade. It’s amazing. As expected, you are a gear nerd. Take (laughs)

Tetsu Nishiyama
Takehiko Hanafusa
Takehiko Hanafusa | Born in Saitama in 1976. After graduating from the Bunka Fashion College Design Department, he launched his own women’s brand. After that, he worked on production and design for women’s brands, apparel OEM manufacturers and agencies. He is currently a freelance designer and production planner and also runs his brand, TAKES HANDS.

https://takeshands.com/https://www.instagram.com/take.hanafusa/
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  • DATE 2025.4.22
  • CREDITphoto: Shunya Arai 　
    text: Tamio Ogasawara 　
    special thanks: TAKES HANDS
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