Kaneko Optical, founded in 1958, is a synonym for stylish eyewear and is supported by a wide range of ages. In 2023, Kaneko Optical's holding company, Japan Eyewear Holdings, will be listed on the Standard Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, marking the first time that a Sabae-based eyeglass manufacturer has been listed. We spoke to Shinya Kaneko, who has made a big leap forward from his family's eyeglass wholesale business and brought a breath of fresh air to the eyeglass industry, about the events that triggered this, as well as the innovations and challenges in the eyeglass industry.

Most of my elementary school classmates are from families that work in the eyeglasses industry.

Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, has a population of just under 95, but accounts for about 3% of the nation's eyeglass production and is one of the world's three largest manufacturing towns. It was here in Sabae that Kaneko's father established the eyeglass wholesaler Kaneko Optical Co. in 1958, the year Kaneko was born. Since then, except for the four years he spent at university, he has continued to live in Sabae to this day.

"When I was a child, most of my classmates' parents worked in the eyewear industry, so I grew up in that kind of environment. I thought the whole world was like that."

After graduating from high school, he went to university in Tokyo, but his father made him promise that he would take over the family business after graduating. His inability to find his own path in the future had long lingered in his mind, and his three children did not take over the family business.

"During my university days, while other students were busy looking for jobs, I was having fun. I really enjoyed Tokyo, and I feel that the stimulation and sensitivities I experienced in the city at that time are still with me today."

After graduating from university, Kaneko returned to Sabae as promised and joined Kaneko Optical. He says that for the first time he felt frustrated by the challenges facing his family business.

"Because Kaneko Optical was a latecomer, the market was already established. There was no opportunity for us to penetrate the major retailers, and we had no choice but to work hard to sell to local retailers. As a result, when we went on business trips we tried to cut costs wherever we could, such as sleeping in saunas or highway parking areas instead of hotels, but there was a limit to how much we could save."

However, the fact that he was able to listen to customer feedback and develop an eye for glasses while visiting retail stores led to great strides later on.

Distrust in an era where licensing accounts for the majority of sales

In 1986, when Kaneko was 28 years old, he incorporated his privately owned company.

"At the time, the licensing business was mainstream, where you paid a large licensing fee to a famous apparel brand and then engraved the brand name (logo) on glasses and sold them. But to me, they all looked similar in design, with only the logo being different. I didn't find those glasses very appealing. So I started thinking about what kind of glasses I would want, and started coming up with my own designs."

This was the beginning of Kaneko Optical's business model, a one-stop business that handles planning, design, retail, and even manufacturing. In 1987, the "BLAZE" brand was launched by Mr. Kaneko.

It was just around the time when the bubble burst, and the fashion industry was also going through a period of great change. People's interest shifted from brand shops to select shops, and the trend of dressing from head to toe in luxury brands was replaced by a style of coordinating items based on one's own sensibilities.

The achievement of evolving vision correction devices from glasses to eyewear

"In the past, glasses were just a vision correction device, and when you went to an eyeglass shop, it was common for someone in a white coat to test your eyesight. However, as the way people enjoy fashion changed and glasses began to be considered a fashion item, the importance of the design of the glasses became greater than the brand logo. I think that with this historical background, BLAZE was able to ride the wave of this transformation in fashion."

However, BLAZE did not go well from the beginning. Using this as a weapon, Kaneko gained the opportunity to sell his products to shops in fashion-conscious areas such as Shibuya and Harajuku, which he had not been able to enter before. However, because he was self-taught in eyeglass design, he says that at first, retailers continued to reject his products.

"Retailers repeatedly criticized the structure of the glasses. Each time, I would take them home and make corrections, repeatedly brushing them up, and finally, after about three years, we had a product that was recognized by popular shops. After that, it became a popular product that many people picked up."

The pursuit of originality and end-to-end manufacturing that was born from Kaneko's foresight and sensibility was a revolution in the eyewear industry, and marked the moment when glasses were elevated to eyewear.

In 1997, the company launched the more unique "SPIVVY" brand and expanded into New York, helping to fuel the company's growth as a private brand.

The birth of eyeglass frames that highlight the craftsmanship of Sabae artisans

However, Kaneko could not simply rejoice in the success of his company's original brand, and was increasingly worried about the dwindling Sabae eyeglasses industry. At this time, a craftsman named Taihachiro Yamamoto, who was prepared to go out of business due to the dwindling business, visited Kaneko and said, "I want you to see the eyeglasses I made."

"The moment I held the glasses in my hands, I was taken aback by their overwhelming presence. Although they were by no means sophisticated, I was moved by their texture and shine, the sense of craftsmanship and the weight of life that they conveyed, and their brilliance that I had never seen in glasses before. I immediately began working towards commercializing them." He says that Kaneko gave advice on the design, which was a challenge, and he decided to make it into a brand.

"We considered coming up with a cool name in English, but we felt that Yamamoto Taihachiro's name itself would be most appropriate for the glasses that Yamamoto made one by one by hand, so we created the brand 'Taihachiro Kinsei'."

Nowadays, when you go to a supermarket, you can find out the name of the producer as well as the origin of the vegetables and meat. However, back then, it must have been quite a challenge to use the name of an unknown craftsman as a brand name.

"Our factory is equipped with highly precise equipment, but I want as many people as possible to realize that the work of artisans has a charm that no machine, no matter how precise, can produce. I think you can feel the warmth of handmade, traditional craftsmanship when you hold the item in your hands."

Kaneko also created the "Eyeglasses Craftsman Brand" which takes pride in Sabae's techniques, such as "Made by Tsunemoku Yamazaki, Sun Platinum craftsman," "Made by Chobei Otake," "Made by Tamio Ido," and "Made by Yoichi Sasaki," and became one of the pillars of Kaneko Eyeglasses.

From manufacturing to maintenance, we can only do this because we do everything from start to finish.

Kaneko's design skills are recognized by many people, but what supports this is the fact that Kaneko Optical has its own factory and produces products in a one-stop manner. This was also an innovative initiative in the eyewear industry, where the division of labor is usually common.

"Eyeglasses are called semi-finished products. The frame alone is not a finished product. Lenses must be inserted and the fit and other adjustments must be made before the glasses are complete. However, with continued use, distortion will occur in the frame, and adjustments will be necessary. Kaneko Optical's business is only viable if we can handle all of this in-house. We expanded into China, but the truth is that the many people who came to Japan from China and shopped at Kaneko Optical were unable to provide maintenance after purchase. This was also intended to solve the problem."

He also said that this business style is making it difficult to expand into the US and Europe. Because the facial bone structure of Westerners and Asians is slightly different, eyeglass frames need to be resized to suit Westerners. One reason is that they cannot currently do this in their own factory.

"We currently have three factories, and an even more advanced one will be completed in 2025. It's a fantastic factory. I often tell our employees that everyone at our company plays a key role: those who design, those who produce in the factory, and those who sell in our stores. It's only with everyone's efforts that the glasses are completed."

Although going public brings with it a certain amount of responsibility, I want to bring light to the town of Sabae

In 2023, Japan Eyewear Holdings, the holding company of Kaneko Optical, was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard. Although Kaneko Optical has expanded dramatically, Mr. Kaneko's commitment to manufacturing and passion for product quality has not changed at all.

"I feel that as the company gets bigger, people's eyes are changing, but what we need to do remains the same. However, I believe that now we need to give careful thought to how we can protect and grow our corporate brand for the sake of our investors."

Furthermore, Kaneko also has the responsibility of leading manufacturing in Sabae.

"I'm an outsider from Sabae and have been able to do what I want without belonging to any associations. I would be happy if I can show young people that from now on, even local industries can get listed on the stock exchange and shed a little light on Sabae's future," he said.

Shinya Kaneko

Born in 1958. After graduating from Chuo University, he joined Kaneko Optical. In 1986, the company was incorporated as Kaneko Optical Co., Ltd. In 1987, the company launched its first original brand collections, "BLAZE" and "SPIVVY". In addition, the company launched the handmade eyeglass brands "Taiyaro Kinsei" and "Tsunemosa". In 1999, he became the company's representative director. In 2001, the company opened its directly managed store, "FACIAL INDEX NEW YORK Tokyo Store" on Nakadori Street in Marunouchi. In 2006, the company established its own workshop, "BACKSTAGE". In 2016, the company opened its first directly managed store in France, "KANEKO LE MARAIS", in the Marais district of Paris. In 1, the Chinese corporation "Kaneko Optical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd." was established. In 2021, he became a director of Four Nines, and in May 2022, he became the president and representative director of Japan Eyewear Holdings. The company's fourth factory is scheduled to be completed in 23. Currently, the company has approximately 5 stores in Japan and five stores overseas (in China and France).

Mio Shimamura

Representative, publisher and editor-in-chief of Premium Japan. After working at a foreign advertising agency, he held positions in charge of marketing and PR at top brands such as Walt Disney, Harry Winston, and Tiffany & Co. In 2013, he founded Russo Co., Ltd. He handles PR for various top brands. Because his parents' home was an environment that taught Japanese culture such as tea ceremony and kimono dressing, he acquired the business rights to Premium Japan in 2017 and established Premium Japan Co., Ltd. in 2018.