Beyond Handmade: Creating 'Dialogue' and 'Connection' – Empowering Women of All Ages to Shine Through Accessory Ribbons

Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for announcing dreams. This press release is the dream of andR Co., Ltd. Japan Accessory Ribbon Association.

Harumi Ishikawa, the creator of Pave ribbon® and representative of andR Co., Ltd. and the Japan Accessory Ribbon Association, gave up her management position at a major insurance company due to the difficulty of balancing work and childcare.

She spent her days single-handedly raising two sons. She felt no sense of accomplishment, lost her sense of self, and was eventually driven to the brink of postpartum depression.

It was "accessory ribbons" that became the catalyst for Harumi Ishikawa to move forward in her life again.

■ Isolation Faced During Life Transitions

While women's career and lifestyle options have expanded, and society has changed to respect diverse lifestyles, many women experience a gradual decrease in social connections and feelings of isolation due to life stage changes such as marriage, childbirth, childcare, relocation with a spouse, and caregiving.

When women have settled down with their careers, childcare, and family, and begin to think about their future, they often feel a sense of urgency and anxiety, wondering, "Is this enough?" about their past life and future way of living.

As a result, an increasing number of women suffer alone and become mentally distressed.

Such conflicts are an aspect of "middle crisis" (midlife crisis) that occurs during life transitions,

and are a pressing issue that many people face today.

However, support, environments, and connections for this situation are still insufficient.

■ Ribbon Making as a Communication Tool

To date, andR has trained over 1,500 certified instructors, ranging from teenagers to those in their 80s, through accessory ribbon making courses and instructor training. A major feature supporting this widespread reach is the provision of a learning environment that accommodates diverse learning formats such as correspondence, in-person, and online (ZOOM), allowing individuals to learn according to their region and lifestyle.

Its activities have also expanded overseas, with courses being taken in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

The company has also supported new challenges such as opening home-based classes and selling works throughout Japan.

Currently, through pop-up events at department stores nationwide, the company creates opportunities for students and instructors to deliver their works to society, expanding their fields of activity.

These opportunities also lead to regaining self-esteem and expanding one's own possibilities.

By establishing an environment that doesn't just end with acquiring skills through "learning," but connects to "sharing" and "selling," the company builds a system that allows individuals to maintain social connections.

Furthermore, department store events, attended by students and instructors of various ages, serve not only as a place to deliver works to society but also as a "place of connection" where they can share their worries and thoughts.

Upcoming Department Store Pop-up Events Nationwide

◾️Hankyu Department Store Senri Store (First appearance) April 1 (Wed) - April 7 (Tue), 2026

◾️Takashimaya Osaka Store April 22 (Wed) - April 28 (Tue), 2026

The latest information on upcoming POP UP events is updated regularly on the official website.

We Want to Reduce Women's Isolation and Create Opportunities for Them to Shine in Their Own Way

Supported by the smiles of students, certified instructors, and customers who pick up her works, Harumi Ishikawa continues to devise new designs every day with the desire to spread smiles and radiance to more people.

Having experienced social isolation due to childcare, what Ishikawa values most in her designs is that they are
"ribbons that can be made while talking, creating communication."

They are not just handmade ribbons, but entities that naturally create and expand "dialogue" and "connection" among women.

Moving forward, starting from the connections born through ribbons,

the company will continue to create a "third place" where women can challenge themselves and continue to shine, no matter their age, as they overcome various life transitions together and update their ways of living in their own unique styles.