[Message from the President] Thank you for your continued support this year.

Thank you very much for your continued support.

With Christmas over, the year is drawing to a close. How have you been? We at LOVST TOKYO are also about to celebrate our second anniversary since our debut. It is truly deeply moving that we can somehow welcome the New Year with all of you again. Thank you so much for always supporting our immature selves!

This year, we focused on building a community with shared aspirations, and we were able to host events and conduct pop-ups in collaboration with other brands. It was a year of tremendous learning, and at the same time, we felt a strong sense of purpose (significance) in our daily activities.

Therefore, as we reflect on this year, I would like to look back a little at the events that made me feel a strong sense of purpose, under the theme of "TOP 3 Moments of Purpose (Significance)."

I apologize for always sharing personal reflections 🙏 And although I said "a little," it ended up being quite long... lol (Please read it when you have time 🙇‍♂️)

 

My Definition of "Significance"

Before announcing the top 3, let me explain my definition of "purpose (significance)." I believe it is the essential happiness (successful experience) gained by committing oneself to something more important than one's own existence. It is also the feeling that you can lead things in a better direction by utilizing your own existence (individuality and skills).

At LOVST TOKYO, based on the belief in our brand name, which stands for "LOve and Variety, like Vegan, to be respected as 1ST from TOKYO," we strive to deliver successful experiences of a circulatory lifestyle (Circular Living) for both mind and body by empathizing with the "guilt" often felt by kind people who care about the future of the Earth.

Furthermore, by offering items made from plant-based vegan leather, we strongly believe that we can both "solve social problems caused by the livestock industry" and "deliver a new experience of living that is considerate of animals and the environment."

That was a long introduction, but now, without further ado, let's start with the third place!

  

"3rd Place" Conducting a Donation-Based Crowdfunding Campaign

Did you know that "February 22, 2022" this year was a super cat day with six "2s" (pronounced "nyan" like a cat's meow)?
On such a memorable day, the "Super Cat Day" for the first time in 800 years since the Kamakura period, we wanted to "give back to the cats who have helped us so much!" and "Is there anything LOVST TOKYO can convey to the world?" With these thoughts, we developed cat collars made from apple leather and released them through a donation-based crowdfunding campaign!

While it may not have been a huge success, we managed to see it through! I am truly grateful to "SPA," the animal shelter that kindly cooperated with us in this challenge, and to the pet cats who served as models.

It was a moment when I realized that, while I intended to help the cats, they somehow ended up helping me again (о´∀`о)

I also regret that our influence was not strong enough to contribute even more significantly, but I hope to continue to take small, steady steps and bring things to fruition whenever possible 💪

 

 

"2nd Place" Exhibiting at the Vegan Gourmet Festival

Second place goes to exhibiting at the "Vegan Gourmet Festival"!
Actually, we have exhibited at the Vegan Gourmet Festival several times in the past, but this year, in particular, we received feedback from customers that made us feel "it was good (and meaningful) to exhibit" > <

Me: "Thank you for today ^^ Do you often come to the Vegan Gourmet Festival?"

Customer: "No, actually, it's my first time! I heard that LOVST TOKYO would be exhibiting, and there was an item I was interested in, so I decided to come!"

Me: "Oh! Is that so! There's a lot of delicious food, so please have a look around!"

Customer: "Actually, I just tried soy meat for the first time, and it was so delicious that I wondered if it really didn't have any meat!"

Me: "Right?! You really don't know how good it is until you actually try it!"

That's how our conversation went, and first, I was happy that someone who knew about us went out of their way to come a long distance. (I apologize that we don't have a permanent store yet, but I'll do my best next year!)

Also, I felt very honored that they took on the unknown challenge of trying "soy meat" there and gave us a positive impression, saying it was more delicious than they expected!

I myself didn't have a very good impression of veganism before, but at some point, I had an epiphany that made me want to confront the CO2 emissions (social issues) caused by the livestock industry.

And thanks to that, I was able to find my own identity as an entrepreneur, and I feel that it has led to the realization of a lifestyle that is "kind to animals and the earth."

So, the fact that I could experience the reproducibility of this experience through this event made me personally feel a strong sense of purpose 😌

 

 

"1st Place" Holding a Joint Event with an Admired Brand

Finally, the first place goes to being able to hold a joint POP-UP event with our admired brand, "Nine R" 👏

Nine R is a sustainable brand from Saga Prefecture that takes the lead in reforming the conventional apparel industry structure through their clothing and pursues true sustainability!

I'm also close with Mr. Jun, the representative, who originally came from the apparel industry. One of his appeals is his transparent communication about the dark side of the industry that had been veiled until now.
He truly embodies the indignation from his own personal experience as a brand, and he is a brand I have immense respect for.

The joint POP-UP event with such a brand, Nine R, attracted a large number of visitors and concluded successfully.
Thank you very much to everyone who came to the venue!

I want to apply the many lessons learned from this challenge to our future activities.
And I hope that we too can grow to be a brand admired by others someday 😊

By the way, I apologize if this sounds like an advertisement, but the limited edition collaboration bag that we developed jointly with Nine R is almost sold out. We are delighted by its popularity ><

 

Actually, there's another reason why this event ranked first for me!
The "apple vegan muffins" that were given as souvenirs (purchase benefits) at this event were sourced from GREENPOST MUFFIN.

Ms. Misaki, the representative who runs GREENPOST MUFFIN, a specialty store for delicious vegan muffins, was originally a loyal user of LOVST TOKYO products. When we asked her if she could provide muffins for this event, she readily agreed.

For us, it was an opportunity for customers to enjoy delicious apple vegan muffins, and for Green Post Muffin, who shares our goal of promoting a lifestyle that is kind to animals and the Earth, it created a wonderful cycle where ideas and money flowed.

So, this episode is also one of my favorites. I hope that we can continue to connect with the same purpose and propose a better lifestyle together, not limited to clothing, food, and shelter!

 

 

Finally

As you reflect on this past year, were there any jobs or events that gave you a sense of purpose (significance)?

After some thought, perhaps the true nature of this sense of significance is the "state of one's will."

For example, "will" refers to goals or objectives, and it's your resolve.
Presumably, without it, the feeling of purpose might not even arise.

So, perhaps the most important thing to feel a sense of purpose is to maintain "the state of one's will."

But maintaining it is difficult, isn't it? >
Continuing without giving up is not easy...

Well, it's getting long, so I'll stop here.
While I'm rambling about something incomprehensible at the end of the year, what kind of goals and intentions will you have next year?

Perhaps for me, the success of this business will lead to my own self-realization.
However, I believe that working with all of you to create your successful experiences is the first step towards a positive cycle for society as a whole.

We will continue to ask for your help with surveys, reviews, and interviews online and offline. We sincerely wish to be a brand that can empathize with "positive guilt," and we will strive every day to achieve this. We would appreciate your warm support.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year 🐰
We plan to make an important announcement around springtime next year!
Please look forward to it ^^

Kaito Karasawa, Representative of LOVST TOKYO