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History

1995

  • Apparel brand minä founded by designer Akira Minagawa.

1996

  • mini bag : made from fabric remnants, with the aim of recycling materials; a standard item in each collection, made from seasonal textiles.
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1997

  • Akira Minagawa quit working part-time job at a fish market in order to focus on dressmaking.
  • egg bag : an egg-shaped bag made from recycled remnants, following the concept of the mini bag. Both the egg and mini bags have remained brand staples ever since.
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1998

  • The atelier moved to Asagaya, Tokyo.

1999

  • Designed the brand’s first chair, the giraffe chair.
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2000

  • tori bag : a bird-shaped leather bag with feathers shaped like leaves and other natural motifs. Inside the bag, there are three egg-like objets d’art wrapped in leftover cloth.
  • Opened its first store in a quiet back street of the Shirokanedai residential area in Tokyo.

2002

  • Began reproduction. With the mission to craft “timeless designs with everlasting value,” started producing dresses using previously released textile designs with a twist of new color and material.
  • Released cowboy boots in collaboration with StallionBoots, U.S.A.
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2003

  • Renamed the brand minä perhonen.
  • Participated in London Fashion Week.
  • The minä perhonen tartan was registered by the Scottish Tartans Authority.
  • Released its original design furniture series, puu, meaning “tree” in Finnish. (Manufactured by Nissin Furniture Crafters Co.)
  • Collaboration with kimono brand So plus by Bushoan. (Continued until 2006.)

2004

  • Participated in Paris Fashion Week in Paris.
  • Began a children’s clothing line as part of the Spring and Summer 2005 Collection.
  • Costume design for the dance performance wonder girl at Spiral Hall, Tokyo; also set design and direction contributions.
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  • Released its perhonen chair.(Manufactured by Tendo Mokko.)

2005

  • Began presenting collections at Paris Collection in Paris. (Continued until 2007.)
  • Costume design for Ando Yoko Project, feel & connect, a dance performance by Yoko Ando, a dancer at the Forsythe Company at the time.

2006

  • Designer Akira Minagawa was awarded the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix hosted by the Mainichi Newspaper.
  • Costume design and visual consultingfor the dance performance moiré at Spiral Hall, Tokyo.
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  • Began selling fabrics.
  • Danish textile manufacture Kvadrat released textiles designed by Akira Minagawa.
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2007

  • Opened a store in Kyoto.
  • Began production and sale of a seasonal visual catalogue, Monkicho.

2008

  • Started an original tableware collection.
  • Launched a new everyday clothing line, minä perhonen Laundry, suitable for home laundry.

2009

  • Opened a store specializing in an archive collection called minä perhonen arkistot in Kyoto.
  • Designed uniforms for the Aomori Museum of Art.
  • Released perhonen shelf and bagel stool. (Manufactured by Inoue Industries; perhonen shelf designed by Torafu Architects.)
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  • British fabric manufacturer Liberty London introduced fabrics designed by Akira Minagawa for its Autumn Winter 2010 Collection.
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2010

  • Opened a store, minä perhonen piece, focused on recycling fabric remnants.
  • A minä perhonen dress was added to the permanent collection of The Kyoto Costume Institute.

2011

  • Opened Online Store. Until 2019, the online store was run under the name, metsä, meaning “woods” in Finnish.
  • Started a service called lentää to rent dresses from the archive collection.

2012

  • Designed uniforms for Tokyo Skytree®.
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  • Introduced minä perhonen designed fragrance and candle coffrets in collaboration with French fragrance maker diptyque.

2013

  • Opened a gallery-like store called galleria in Kyoto, along with a new apparel line of the same name focused on monochromatic designs and patterns.
  • Opened a store in Matsumoto.
  • Released the original lotus stool. (Manufactured by Sakura Seisakusho.)
  • Released fushi to kakera, products from Maruni Wood Industry, using wood and fabric remnants for Naoto Fukazawa’s Hiroshima Chair.
  • Began collaboration with Swedish textile manufacture Klippan by providing designs.
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  • Released shoes in collaboration with French ballet shoe company Repetto.

2014

  • Designed uniforms for the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
  • Released an interior fabric named dop, developed as a durable fabric intended for use over long periods of time. Each side of the fabric is colored differently, so as the surface wears the reverse side color appears — thus the natural aging process can be enjoyed.
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  • Minagawa planned and supervised the POOL project by Ryohin Keikaku Co., which involved transforming excess stock and fabric remnants for resale— “pool” the excess and “loop” (“pool” spelled backwards) them back into society.

2015

  • Opened a store, koti, meaning “house” in Finnish, at Shonan T-Site, Kanagawa.
  • Costume design for the theatrical play Throw away Your Books, LetÅfs Get onto the Streets, directed by Takahiro Morita from Mum and Gypsy from the original work by Shuji Terayama; produced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.
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  • Released book mock and book nap, co-designed with architect Yoshifumi Nakamura.
  • Released collaborative shoes from repetto.
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  • Akira Minagawa designed the capsule collection Bee White for Italian porcelain manufacturer Richard Ginori.
  • Released collaborative model of Series 7 chairs using dop textiles with Fritz Hansen.

2016

  • Relocated the flagship store from Shirokanedai to Daikanyama.
  • Opened call, a new concept store with a café and grocery store, in the Spiral Building, Tokyo
  • Akira Minagawa was awarded the 2015 Mainichi Design Award by Mainichi Newspaper and the 66th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technologies Art Encouragement Prize from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.
  • Released new textiles in the form of an installation titled Forest Comes Home.at Salone del Mobile.Milano in collaboration with Kvadrat.
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2017

  • Opened a store in Kanazawa.
  • Opened minä perhonen materiaali, meaning “material” in Finnish, a store specializing in textiles and home decor in Daikanyama, Tokyo.
  • minä perhonen textiles were added to the permanent collection at Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, New York.
  • Italian porcelain brand Richard Ginori presented a table wear collection titled “Speranza” designed by Akira Minagawa at Salone del Mobile. Milano 2017.
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  • Released storage container and butter warmer in collaboration with Noda Horo.
  • Released collaboration with outdoor brand THE NORTH FACE.
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2018

  • Umitota, a private home -style accommodation- project direction by Akira Minagawa; the accommodations themselves were designed by Shinichiro Ogata and planned and operated by C.H.C Circle House Corporation Co.
  • Kyo no Ondokoro Kaman-za-Nijo design by Akira Minagawa as part of the Machiya Revitalization project; the accommodations themselves were designed jointly with Yoshifumi Nakamura, and operated by Wacol, Kyoto.
  • Costume design for the theatrical play Throw away Your Books, Let’s Get onto the Streets, directed by Takahiro Morita from Mum and Gypsy from the original work by Shuji Terayama; produced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.
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  • Italian porcelain brand Richard Ginori presented a tableware collection “Gaia”, from the Italian for “primordial earth goddess,” designed by Akira Minagawa at Salone del Mobile. Milano 2018.
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  • Limited release of collaboration bag and pouch with PORTER.
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  • Released sneaker in collaboration with CONVERSE.
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2019

  • Opened a store materiaali Kyoto.
  • Opened a lifestyle store, elävä I, and a furniture store, elävä II, in Bakurocho, Tokyo.
  • Akira Minagawa produced Kyo no Ondokoro Nishijin Villa. The accommodations themselves were designed jointly with Yoshifumi Nakamura, and operated by Wacoal, Kyoto.
  • Released shoes in collaboration with the Finnish sport shoe brand Karhu.
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2020

  • Opened minä perhonen neutraali, a store focused on plain clothes in neutral colors, next to materiaali in Daikanyama.
  • Opened minä perhonen puukuu diner in Bakurocho.
  • Released pots in collaboration with French enamel cast pot brand STAUB.
  • Released shoes in collaboration with MOONSTAR.

2021

  • Opened minä perhonen neutraali in Kyoto.
  • Opened minä perhonen museum / minä perhonen museum shop inside VISON, located in Taki, Mie. (operation by Aqua Ignis Corporation)

2022

  • Designed uniforms and playground equipment named “kivi”, “bird in the nest” and “flower bird”. Those are released by JAKUETS, a total solution company for creating play environments.
  • cocoon, an inn directed by Akira Minagawa, opened on the grounds of KURKKU FIELDS, a sustainable farm and park in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture.
  • released school bags “daily trip”, “flowery memories” and “with friends” in collaboration with Tsuchiya Kaban Co .,LTD.
  • Released watch in collaboration with ARNE JACOBSEN.