Convenience store chain Lawson has tied up with the 393-year-old Kyoto textile manufacturer Eirakuya to produce a line of stationery items to be sold at Lawson shops around Japan.
Specifically, the collaboration is with Eirakuya’s considerable newer brand Enveraak that creates designs for the teens through 30s market. In clever patterns that incorporate decidedly modern elements like telephones, the line-up includes pens and pencils (¥399, about $3.75), ring notebooks (¥420, about $4), and memo-pads (¥263, about $2.50).
Lawson looks to be channeling the “back to Japan” trend that has been making a mark on the fashion and beauty industries for many years now—though a trend that has seen a recent boost from the association between “traditional” and “natural,” thus eco-friendly and safe. Then there is always the quick turnover that a hit stationery line can create, a la the Beams meets 7/11 retro line we covered earlier this year.
