Collaborating with MAISON KITSUNÉ and BEAMS: Behind the scenes of the making of international flight amenity kits, with 500,000 sets produced annually

"We're delighted that the response has been greater than we expected, especially on social media. The planning of an amenity kit begins with finding a brand to work with. There are several companies overseas that plan and manufacture amenity kits for airlines and hotels, and they act as a bridge between us and overseas brands. Sometimes we ask them to persuade us, and sometimes they come to us with suggestions. We approached MAISON KITSUNÉ through one of them.

Previously, they only collaborated with overseas brands. However, they thought it would be interesting to promote the good things about Japan through their amenity kits, so in February 2018, they started offering kits in collaboration with Tatsumura Textiles, a long-established Nishijin textile manufacturer. This latest collaboration with BEAMS is the second in the series.

For our collaboration with BEAMS, the Corporate Business Division of Takashimaya, which realized our collaboration with Tatsumura Textiles, was in charge of planning and manufacturing the amenities. We are very grateful that the person in charge is a JAL fan and has handled the project with great enthusiasm and love."

These are the words of Okazawa Kenya of the Product and Service Planning Division. The amenity kits contain items to make your in-flight experience more comfortable, such as toothbrushes, earplugs, moisturizing masks, lip balm, and tissues. Previously, these amenities were provided to customers as items to be picked up by the customer, but the current amenity kits have been made into kits by storing them in pouches created in collaboration with brands, adding value to the kits. JAL offers these as exclusive goods for first and business class passengers on flights to the United States, Europe, and Australia. Many customers also take them home as mementos of their trip or as souvenirs.

MAISON KITSUNÉ, with whom JAL collaborated this time, is a group of creators based in Paris who are active in the fields of fashion, music, and art, and its creative director is Japanese, Masaya Kuroki. Also, BEAMS, founded in 1976, is a talented select shop that has led the Japanese fashion industry. Both are popular among the younger generation.

The selection of amenity kits is a major project that is updated every 1-2 years.

"The core generation of customers who fly first class or business class are over 40 years old, and they are well-acquainted with JAL's services. Thankfully, many of them say they like JAL. However, we wanted to get even younger generations interested in JAL, so we asked MAISON KITSUNÉ and BEAMS to collaborate. Partway through the project, fashion-conscious Kazusai joined the team, and he used his sensibilities in the work, from design to internal presentations and external communications." (Okazawa)

"I used to be a flight attendant, and I was disappointed when some customers would leave their amenity kits on their seats before going home. But I thought that if we had kits from MAISON KITSUNÉ or BEAMS, they might take them home and give them as gifts to their families or coworkers." (Kazusai)

JAL's amenity kits have been created in collaboration with LOEWE, PORSCHE DESIGN, and ETRO in first class, and TUMI, ZERO HALLIBURTON, ETRO, and Tatsumura Textiles in business class. The collaboration period with each brand lasts for one to two years, and the color and design of the pouch changes every few months.

"We start considering collaboration partners for our amenity kits about two years before they are to be installed, but not all brands will agree to collaborate even when we send out a love call. If our vision and the brand's vision don't match, the collaboration won't come to fruition. And even if our vision does match, it's not uncommon for the timing to not work out. For example, a brand might want to start offering the kits in time for the sale of a new product, but at that time we might still be collaborating with an older brand... We end up in situations like these. As a result, we are often turned down by a lot of people. The final brand to collaborate with is decided about a year before the service begins." (Okazawa)

We wanted to create something that would be comfortable to use while still respecting the individuality of the brand.

Once we have decided on a collaboration with a brand, the design of the pouch is the thing we pay the most attention to. We work closely with the brand to ensure that it will look natural whether used by a man or a woman, and we consider how the customer will feel about it.

"Firstly, for MAISON KITSUNÉ, we deliberately made the designs for the first and second releases chic. We wanted to make it so that even customers who are unfamiliar with the brand could use them without feeling out of place. However, we designed the lining in a way that would give a sense of the MAISON KITSUNÉ brand. We added a playful touch by sprinkling Japanese motifs such as foxes and Mt. Fuji into a camouflage-style pattern. From the third release, we are thinking of using the tricolor, the icon of MAISON KITSUNÉ, on the pouches themselves. The designs are wonderful, so we hope you will look forward to them." (Kazusai)

On the other hand, BEAMS has developed four patterns to match the four seasons, so that you can feel the seasonal feeling. The surface is like a top and the gusset is like a bottom, imagining the coordination of clothes for each season. The design on the bottom is also based on the fabric material, which is characteristic of BEAMS.

"BEAMS is a select shop that is popular with a wide range of customers. Everyone has a different image of the BEAMS brand. We started by discussing what kind of design would give a sense of BEAMS' unique style. Hiroshi Kubo, who was the company's director, head of the president's office and creative director at the time (currently director, development division general manager and creative director), was directly involved in the design of this product." (Okazawa)

The manufacturing of these planned and developed pouches and the assembly of the contents into amenity kits are often carried out overseas. Daisuke Osai of the Procurement Department is responsible for checking that the brand and quality required by JAL are being guaranteed, arranging logistics to the designated warehouse, and managing delivery dates.

"After the development department has decided on the specifications, we at the Procurement Division manage everything from ordering to delivery. There wouldn't be a problem if everything turned out exactly as shown in the sample, but with large quantities and overseas manufacturing, it's not as straightforward as we'd hoped. For the collaborative products with MAISON KITSUNÉ, we went to the site to check the quality of the pouches themselves, as well as whether the work environment was such that there was no risk of foreign objects getting mixed in when assembling the amenity kits. We particularly looked closely at the reproduction of the brand logo, which is the symbol of the collaboration." (Osai)

Overseas factories produce 500,000 sets per year

Approximately 50,000 amenity kits for first class and 500,000 for business class are procured annually. The Development Department determines the specifications for not only the pouches but also the contents, and the Procurement Department manages everything from ordering to delivery.

"The design of the package for the contents was done by the design office nendo, led by the internationally active Sato Oki. Because each item is manufactured by a different manufacturer, we had trouble getting the colors to match even when we specified them. nendo's proposal was to intentionally specify different tones, even though the colors were from the same family of colors, and by designing these differences we could create a sense of unity, while also making it possible to distinguish the items by the difference in tones. The result was a package with a sophisticated impression, with the name of the item itself designed into it." (Okazawa)

The contents are not always the same, and we put a lot of effort into incorporating items with the brand's design and functional items.

"One of the items included is a moisture mask to make the cabin comfortable even in a dry place like an airplane. This is a product unique to Japan and is not manufactured overseas. Additionally, in the past we also included Kao MegRhythm Steam Hot Eye Masks*, but these were also made only in Japan. As a result, we have to send the items manufactured in Japan overseas, combine them with pouches and other items manufactured overseas to complete amenity kits, and then re-import them, which is a logistics issue. In the past, we tried importing pouches and other items manufactured overseas, and combining them with items manufactured in Japan to complete amenity kits in Japan, but after chasing costs, we have settled on the current logistics system. It's difficult, but we've learned a lot." (Osai)

Furthermore, if the contents include cosmetics such as lip balms, we ask a licensed professional company to act as an import agent. In this case, the transaction will be in Japanese yen, so the transaction amount will need to be adjusted according to exchange rate fluctuations.

"Every time the brand or specifications change, completely different work arises. That's what makes it difficult, but also what makes it interesting. Everything is different, from the materials to the sewing and even the zippers. It's all worth the effort, but when the kits are delivered safely to the designated warehouse and begin being provided to customers as scheduled, you feel a sense of accomplishment." (Osai)

From now on, we will also be mindful of the environment. Amenity kits will also be part of air travel.

"We hear from frequent customers that it's new and that they collect them. We have begun considering the development of our next product while imagining the happy faces of such customers. We are considering things like whether it would be more convenient for customers to take the pouch home and reuse it if it had a gusset, and many people leave their used eye masks on the seat, but if we put the brand logo on it, it would look more like one with the pouch and they would be able to take it home and reuse it just like the pouch, while keeping an eye on the cost." (Kazusai)

Amenity kits are part of the air travel experience, and they are part of the service that JAL strives to provide the best possible service.

"This isn't limited to amenity kits, but when you're in charge of product development, you're constantly under pressure to continue to surprise customers in a good way, or to have the specifications for the next product decided on before the service launch deadline approaches and still not decided. Also, people's opinions of brands vary depending on their individual preferences, so it's not easy to get the understanding of all the people in your company about a collaborative brand. But once we released it, it was well received by customers and was also well received on social media. Thanks to this, I think we've created the foundation for our next challenge.

And in future efforts, it is essential to consider the environment. We also need to think about what to do with the petroleum-based packaging materials we use to ensure hygiene. Above all, if we don't make products that people want to take home, it will all just end up as garbage." (Okazawa)

We are already considering our next collaboration partner. What kind of design would please our customers even more? Is there any way to make it easier to use and more environmentally friendly than before? Although the amenity kit is compact, it is packed with passion and ingenuity.

*Currently, Kao MegRhythm Steam Hot Eye Masks are not included in amenity kits. They are provided by flight attendants upon request in First/Business/Premium Economy Class on medium- to long-haul flights.

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