Through Inclusive Design with Children with Developmental Traits and Hand Paralysis, CULUMU Supports Footmark's Development of the New School Bag 'Pitta-cell'
Inclusive design studio CULUMU supported the research and web production for Footmark's new school bag 'Pitta-cell'. Through 3 years of co-creation with families having developmental traits, they developed an inclusive product.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 20:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 11:31
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Co-creation research and web production accompaniment case for the new school bag "Pitta-cell".
"CULUMU," an inclusive design studio operated by STYZ Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Tatsuya Tanaka), provided accompaniment support for inclusive research toward development and official website production in the project for the new school bag backpack "Pitta-cell" to be released in April 2026 by Footmark Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sumida-ku, Tokyo, President: Tokushi Isobe, hereinafter Footmark).
A small voice of 2-3% sent to Footmark regarding existing products saying "specific specifications are difficult to use." CULUMU extracted the hidden needs behind it through co-creation with the families of those with developmental traits, and built a solid foundation for the inclusive product design handled by GK Dynamics Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo, President: Yoshiharu Sugawara, hereinafter GK Dynamics). Furthermore, they also took on the communication design (website production) to correctly deliver the appeal of the completed product to society, supporting the important process from the voices of the people concerned to social implementation as a product.
Click here for the special page for the research report
■ Project Background: The "1/1 Perspective" Faced by a Long-Established Manufacturer
Footmark, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, has a manufacturing philosophy of the "1/1 (one-to-one) perspective," which values "the words of just one person" over a large amount of data.
The school bag "RAKUSACK" developed by the company also originally started from the voice of a single customer who said "the bag is too heavy and breaks easily," and aimed to solve the physical burden of children carrying nearly 10 kg of baggage every day (in the case of junior high school students) by making it "feel lighter through its structure."
This "RAKUSACK" gathered a lot of support, and in 2020, they released "RAKUSACK Junior" for elementary school students. It created a new market of "school bag backpacks" that are made of cloth, lightweight, and structured to feel light. This also received a high response upon release and permeated as a new option for school bags, but in user questionnaires, there was a voice of 2-3% saying "zippers and magnets are difficult to use due to disabilities or developmental traits."
Footmark did not overlook this voice and started the development of the new school bag "Pitta-cell" with an "inclusive design" approach to making a bag for someone specific.
■ About 3 Years of Development Trajectory Facing It Until Satisfied. Toward a Co-Creation System of 3 Companies
While general bag development takes about a year, the development of "Pitta-cell" took about 3 years starting from the spring of 2023.
Initially, Footmark proceeded with verification in-house, but in order to embody the detailed needs of users more highly as the structure and design of the bag, GK Dynamics, which is responsible for product design, started accompaniment in the summer of 2023. In order to tackle it from the perspective of inclusive design from the beginning, CULUMU was approached as a research partner and joined the project.
As of January 2026, the prototype counted its 5th time, and development was continued with the conviction of "making something that truly satisfies and answers the voices of the people concerned," rather than being driven by a business plan to "match the release with the spring school bag hunting season," leading to the release in April 2026.
■ Details of CULUMU's Support
Lifestyle-Oriented "Inclusive Research" that Creates the Foundation for Development
"CULUMU Research," a co-creation research service where you can search by human characteristics.
To clarify the unarticulated issues faced by the parties concerned, which was Footmark's request, CULUMU first conducted a questionnaire survey of 25 families with children having developmental traits, and from there conducted depth interviews (in-depth research) with the families.
Going beyond simple hearings, they designed a long-term verification process, such as having the children themselves report daily inconveniences and fixations using a dedicated diary or video. They extracted "real life lines and emotions" that could not be picked up by the questionnaire alone, such as the specialized knowledge of parents with qualifications as physical therapists and contrivances using stopwatches during morning preparations.
As a result, they provided important insights to sublimate it into a product that is "easy for anyone to use" regardless of the presence or absence of disabilities, playing the role of a bridge connecting to excellent design.
"Website Production" Embodying Inclusive Design
Image photos of design practice such as user research and workshops.
CULUMU was also in charge of producing the official website that correctly delivers the appeal of "Pitta-cell" to society. While typical school bag websites are made "for parents," CULUMU aimed for a "site that parents and children can view together."
"CULUMU," an inclusive design studio operated by STYZ Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Tatsuya Tanaka), provided accompaniment support for inclusive research toward development and official website production in the project for the new school bag backpack "Pitta-cell" to be released in April 2026 by Footmark Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sumida-ku, Tokyo, President: Tokushi Isobe, hereinafter Footmark).
A small voice of 2-3% sent to Footmark regarding existing products saying "specific specifications are difficult to use." CULUMU extracted the hidden needs behind it through co-creation with the families of those with developmental traits, and built a solid foundation for the inclusive product design handled by GK Dynamics Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo, President: Yoshiharu Sugawara, hereinafter GK Dynamics). Furthermore, they also took on the communication design (website production) to correctly deliver the appeal of the completed product to society, supporting the important process from the voices of the people concerned to social implementation as a product.
Click here for the special page for the research report
■ Project Background: The "1/1 Perspective" Faced by a Long-Established Manufacturer
Footmark, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, has a manufacturing philosophy of the "1/1 (one-to-one) perspective," which values "the words of just one person" over a large amount of data.
The school bag "RAKUSACK" developed by the company also originally started from the voice of a single customer who said "the bag is too heavy and breaks easily," and aimed to solve the physical burden of children carrying nearly 10 kg of baggage every day (in the case of junior high school students) by making it "feel lighter through its structure."
This "RAKUSACK" gathered a lot of support, and in 2020, they released "RAKUSACK Junior" for elementary school students. It created a new market of "school bag backpacks" that are made of cloth, lightweight, and structured to feel light. This also received a high response upon release and permeated as a new option for school bags, but in user questionnaires, there was a voice of 2-3% saying "zippers and magnets are difficult to use due to disabilities or developmental traits."
Footmark did not overlook this voice and started the development of the new school bag "Pitta-cell" with an "inclusive design" approach to making a bag for someone specific.
■ About 3 Years of Development Trajectory Facing It Until Satisfied. Toward a Co-Creation System of 3 Companies
While general bag development takes about a year, the development of "Pitta-cell" took about 3 years starting from the spring of 2023.
Initially, Footmark proceeded with verification in-house, but in order to embody the detailed needs of users more highly as the structure and design of the bag, GK Dynamics, which is responsible for product design, started accompaniment in the summer of 2023. In order to tackle it from the perspective of inclusive design from the beginning, CULUMU was approached as a research partner and joined the project.
As of January 2026, the prototype counted its 5th time, and development was continued with the conviction of "making something that truly satisfies and answers the voices of the people concerned," rather than being driven by a business plan to "match the release with the spring school bag hunting season," leading to the release in April 2026.
■ Details of CULUMU's Support
Lifestyle-Oriented "Inclusive Research" that Creates the Foundation for Development
"CULUMU Research," a co-creation research service where you can search by human characteristics.
To clarify the unarticulated issues faced by the parties concerned, which was Footmark's request, CULUMU first conducted a questionnaire survey of 25 families with children having developmental traits, and from there conducted depth interviews (in-depth research) with the families.
Going beyond simple hearings, they designed a long-term verification process, such as having the children themselves report daily inconveniences and fixations using a dedicated diary or video. They extracted "real life lines and emotions" that could not be picked up by the questionnaire alone, such as the specialized knowledge of parents with qualifications as physical therapists and contrivances using stopwatches during morning preparations.
As a result, they provided important insights to sublimate it into a product that is "easy for anyone to use" regardless of the presence or absence of disabilities, playing the role of a bridge connecting to excellent design.
"Website Production" Embodying Inclusive Design
Image photos of design practice such as user research and workshops.
CULUMU was also in charge of producing the official website that correctly delivers the appeal of "Pitta-cell" to society. While typical school bag websites are made "for parents," CULUMU aimed for a "site that parents and children can view together."