【April Dream】 Bring the 'healing touch' and patented technology of an acupuncturist to your brand. Our dream is to 'co-create' clothing that improves the quality of life in Japan.
Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic) is sharing its dream of collaborating with apparel companies and department stores to integrate their patented 'La-Hook' technology into mainstream fashion. By combining professional acupuncture expertise with stylish design, they aim to make daily life more comfortable and improve the quality of life for people across Japan.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 09:36
We support the 'April Dream' initiative, which encourages people to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release represents the dream of 'Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic).'
■ Our Dream: To make fitting rooms across the country a gateway to an experience where the 'body feels aligned.'
Our dream is to leverage the knowledge and patented technology cultivated by 'Ai no Fuku' (Clothing of Love), a life-stage apparel brand born from Heart & Assist, to 'co-create' new clothing with department stores and apparel companies nationwide, realizing a society where everyone can improve their Quality of Life (QOL) in their daily lives.
We want to care for people's bodies and minds not just through treatments a few times a month, but through the 'clothes' they wear every day. We hope to create an environment where the functional yet stylish apparel we have developed can be picked up and experienced directly by everyone in Japan, rather than just being available in select online shops.
■ Why did an acupuncturist make 'clothes'?
While facing many patients every day, I had a dilemma.
Even if a treatment made their body feel better at the time, I felt that many people would soon suffer from discomfort again due to daily habits or the stress caused by what they were wearing.
'Is there a simple form of self-care that anyone can continue without difficulty?'
'What if the clothes we wear every day could care for our mind and body like a "healing touch"?'
This question led to the birth of the life-stage apparel brand 'Ai no Fuku.'
We adopted cutting that does not hinder shoulder movement, surprising lightness, and skin-friendly materials. Furthermore, a distinctive feature is our patented technology called 'La-Hook®.' This is a thoughtful feature that allows the hem of the garment to be quickly fastened during tasks like assisting with the toilet or transferring from a wheelchair to a bed, making it 'kind to the caregiver' as well as the wearer.
Here, our greatest focus was to blend such high functionality into beautiful designs, ensuring that the practicality of 'functional clothing (nursing wear)' does not stand out. For example, the aforementioned 'La-Hook®' is designed to be hooked onto floral decorations that serve as accents, allowing users to enjoy the function itself as a design element.
This is because the role of clothing is not just to protect the body. The joy of fashion—the feeling of 'wearing my favorite, wonderful clothes'—uplifts the wearer's mood. That excitement creates active behavior, such as 'I'll wear this today and go to that place,' and further sparks the desire for 'self-selection,' where one decides their own attire, wondering, 'What shall I wear tomorrow?'
'Healing (function)' that eases the wearer's pain and reduces the burden of care, and 'Joy (design)' that makes the heart positive. We believe that only when these two wheels are in place can we truly improve people's QOL.
■ Delivering 'love' that cannot be conveyed through a screen, through the power of physical stores.
Currently, 'Ai no Fuku' is primarily developed through our e-commerce site, and we received a lot of support through crowdfunding (CAMPFIRE) this winter. However, at the same time, we feel a significant barrier.
One is that the 'sensation of the body feeling lighter the moment you put your arms through the sleeves' or the 'ease of putting on and taking off' cannot be fully conveyed through a screen. In particular, 'ease of dressing' is a challenge that is difficult for those who have not actually experienced inconvenience to imagine.
Furthermore, those who struggle with dressing often face high hurdles in obtaining clothes, as they may find it difficult to visit stores for physical reasons, or they may hesitate to purchase online due to anxiety about whether the clothes will 'truly fit.'
That is why we believe we need the power of companies with 'physical stores' that people of all generations visit daily.
If someone happens to see 'Ai no Fuku' at a store and thinks, 'This might be easier to put on that person,' or 'This might be good for my future self,' and then touches it to learn how comfortable it is—we believe that by increasing opportunities for people of various generations to see it, the hurdles to reaching those who truly need it will be significantly lowered.
We have received happy feedback from customers who have actually picked up the products:
'I want to give this as a gift to someone important.'
'Even if they don't like it as a gift, I thought I would want to wear it myself.'
The feeling of caring for a loved one's body and the appeal that makes you want to wear it yourself—that is the form 'Ai no Fuku' aims for.
■ To our partner companies: From 'selling' clothes to an experience of 'delivering' health.
Currently, as we operate as a small-scale business, there are inevitably high barriers in terms of cost and resources for mass production to deliver to everyone nationwide.
Therefore, we are eager for collaborations where we can 'co-create' new clothing with companies that have production and sales capabilities. This includes not only placing finished products in stores but also providing our 'professional expertise' and 'patented functions (La-Hook®)' for planning and supervision.
Would you consider utilizing our know-how as a new line-up for your brand or as a joint development project?
The value we can provide goes beyond mere product supply:
- Surprise in the fitting room: The emotion and conviction of 'it's light and comfortable' or 'I don't feel any tightness' on the spot.
- High repeat rate and attachment: The comfort that makes you want to wear it every day leads to trust in the store and repeat visits.
- Proposal of new value: Adding the value of 'wellness' to fashion, realizing a line-up that pleases a wide range of customers from young people to seniors.
■ In closing
We do not intend to let this 'dream' end as a dream.
To the apparel professionals, department store buyers, and everyone who resonates with our thoughts who have seen this article:
Shall we make daily life in Japan easier and more full of smiles through clothing?
We will visit anywhere in the country with samples. Please, by all means, touch the comfort of 'Ai no Fuku' with your own hands.
We hope to paint a new landscape of apparel together with you.
[About Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic) / Ai no Fuku]
- CAMPFIRE project page (ended): https://camp-fire.jp/projects/896990/view?utm_campaign=cp_po_share_c_msg_mypage_projects_show
- Winter 2025 Press Release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000155223.html
[Company Information]
Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic)
Representative: Ai Hiraki
Address: 2-5-1 Hiramatsukita, Konan City, Shiga Prefecture
E-mail: info@heart-assist.jp
URL: https://heart-assist.jp/
Online Shop: https://ainofuku.theshop.jp
■ Our Dream: To make fitting rooms across the country a gateway to an experience where the 'body feels aligned.'
Our dream is to leverage the knowledge and patented technology cultivated by 'Ai no Fuku' (Clothing of Love), a life-stage apparel brand born from Heart & Assist, to 'co-create' new clothing with department stores and apparel companies nationwide, realizing a society where everyone can improve their Quality of Life (QOL) in their daily lives.
We want to care for people's bodies and minds not just through treatments a few times a month, but through the 'clothes' they wear every day. We hope to create an environment where the functional yet stylish apparel we have developed can be picked up and experienced directly by everyone in Japan, rather than just being available in select online shops.
■ Why did an acupuncturist make 'clothes'?
While facing many patients every day, I had a dilemma.
Even if a treatment made their body feel better at the time, I felt that many people would soon suffer from discomfort again due to daily habits or the stress caused by what they were wearing.
'Is there a simple form of self-care that anyone can continue without difficulty?'
'What if the clothes we wear every day could care for our mind and body like a "healing touch"?'
This question led to the birth of the life-stage apparel brand 'Ai no Fuku.'
We adopted cutting that does not hinder shoulder movement, surprising lightness, and skin-friendly materials. Furthermore, a distinctive feature is our patented technology called 'La-Hook®.' This is a thoughtful feature that allows the hem of the garment to be quickly fastened during tasks like assisting with the toilet or transferring from a wheelchair to a bed, making it 'kind to the caregiver' as well as the wearer.
Here, our greatest focus was to blend such high functionality into beautiful designs, ensuring that the practicality of 'functional clothing (nursing wear)' does not stand out. For example, the aforementioned 'La-Hook®' is designed to be hooked onto floral decorations that serve as accents, allowing users to enjoy the function itself as a design element.
This is because the role of clothing is not just to protect the body. The joy of fashion—the feeling of 'wearing my favorite, wonderful clothes'—uplifts the wearer's mood. That excitement creates active behavior, such as 'I'll wear this today and go to that place,' and further sparks the desire for 'self-selection,' where one decides their own attire, wondering, 'What shall I wear tomorrow?'
'Healing (function)' that eases the wearer's pain and reduces the burden of care, and 'Joy (design)' that makes the heart positive. We believe that only when these two wheels are in place can we truly improve people's QOL.
■ Delivering 'love' that cannot be conveyed through a screen, through the power of physical stores.
Currently, 'Ai no Fuku' is primarily developed through our e-commerce site, and we received a lot of support through crowdfunding (CAMPFIRE) this winter. However, at the same time, we feel a significant barrier.
One is that the 'sensation of the body feeling lighter the moment you put your arms through the sleeves' or the 'ease of putting on and taking off' cannot be fully conveyed through a screen. In particular, 'ease of dressing' is a challenge that is difficult for those who have not actually experienced inconvenience to imagine.
Furthermore, those who struggle with dressing often face high hurdles in obtaining clothes, as they may find it difficult to visit stores for physical reasons, or they may hesitate to purchase online due to anxiety about whether the clothes will 'truly fit.'
That is why we believe we need the power of companies with 'physical stores' that people of all generations visit daily.
If someone happens to see 'Ai no Fuku' at a store and thinks, 'This might be easier to put on that person,' or 'This might be good for my future self,' and then touches it to learn how comfortable it is—we believe that by increasing opportunities for people of various generations to see it, the hurdles to reaching those who truly need it will be significantly lowered.
We have received happy feedback from customers who have actually picked up the products:
'I want to give this as a gift to someone important.'
'Even if they don't like it as a gift, I thought I would want to wear it myself.'
The feeling of caring for a loved one's body and the appeal that makes you want to wear it yourself—that is the form 'Ai no Fuku' aims for.
■ To our partner companies: From 'selling' clothes to an experience of 'delivering' health.
Currently, as we operate as a small-scale business, there are inevitably high barriers in terms of cost and resources for mass production to deliver to everyone nationwide.
Therefore, we are eager for collaborations where we can 'co-create' new clothing with companies that have production and sales capabilities. This includes not only placing finished products in stores but also providing our 'professional expertise' and 'patented functions (La-Hook®)' for planning and supervision.
Would you consider utilizing our know-how as a new line-up for your brand or as a joint development project?
The value we can provide goes beyond mere product supply:
- Surprise in the fitting room: The emotion and conviction of 'it's light and comfortable' or 'I don't feel any tightness' on the spot.
- High repeat rate and attachment: The comfort that makes you want to wear it every day leads to trust in the store and repeat visits.
- Proposal of new value: Adding the value of 'wellness' to fashion, realizing a line-up that pleases a wide range of customers from young people to seniors.
■ In closing
We do not intend to let this 'dream' end as a dream.
To the apparel professionals, department store buyers, and everyone who resonates with our thoughts who have seen this article:
Shall we make daily life in Japan easier and more full of smiles through clothing?
We will visit anywhere in the country with samples. Please, by all means, touch the comfort of 'Ai no Fuku' with your own hands.
We hope to paint a new landscape of apparel together with you.
[About Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic) / Ai no Fuku]
- CAMPFIRE project page (ended): https://camp-fire.jp/projects/896990/view?utm_campaign=cp_po_share_c_msg_mypage_projects_show
- Winter 2025 Press Release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000155223.html
[Company Information]
Heart & Assist (Kansai Acupuncture Clinic)
Representative: Ai Hiraki
Address: 2-5-1 Hiramatsukita, Konan City, Shiga Prefecture
E-mail: info@heart-assist.jp
URL: https://heart-assist.jp/
Online Shop: https://ainofuku.theshop.jp