Tadaaki Wakamatsu built his Q-Pot empire on positive thoughts, but in March, when the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake shook Japan and set off a tsunami that killed thousands, even he found it difficult to continue working.
In times of disaster and hardship, typical worries and activities can seem so meaningless.
The designer, in town to mark the first anniversary of his Ala Moana Center boutique, said that at the time he wondered whether he should go back to work. "It was very hard to start," he said, speaking through an interpreter.
But rather than dwell on his own fears, he said he thought of the people in the disaster-stricken Tohoku area and wanted to help the best way he could. "As a designer, I knew I had to start creating, to make people happy again," Wakamatsu said.
The day after the disaster, he had already come up with colored wristbands in his chocolate bar design, with the words "Pray for Japan" inside the band. The wristbands sold for $7 each and to date have raised $300,000 for disaster relief efforts. A shipment of 500 of the bands to Hawaii sold out within a week.
When he started thinking about the happiest world he knows, he recalled childhood days spent at Tokyo Disneyland, which had a big influence on his work today.
"When Tokyo Disneyland opened, I was so excited to visit and saw how other people were happy and excited to be there. Their aim is the same as Q-Pot, to make people smile," he said.
"I respect nature, but I was very drawn to this world that humans created."
His favorite ride was "Pirates of the Caribbean," which showed a dark side to life that also attracted him. "You need both light and dark for the range of human experience," he said, though he created Q-Pot in 2002 as an antidote to the seeming overabundance of darkness in the world.
He had collaborated with Disney on a line of "Alice in Wonderland" jewelry and accessories, and this time, with the animated Disney film "Winnie the Pooh" set to open in Japan Sept. 1, he came up with a line of Pooh jewelry that will launch locally that same date. Also debuting will be a line of Milk Bisquit tote bags, wallets, charms and other soft accessories ranging in price from $90 to $385.
"I decided to work on a new collection around Pooh after the disaster in Japan because everything had changed. All of us felt nervous and that we needed a pick-me-up, and Winnie the Pooh has the power to make people relaxed and happy. All he needs is his honey to make him happy."
Reflecting on the Hundred Acre Wood, where Pooh and his friends reside, Wakamatsu said, "After the disaster many people felt that nature is a scary thing, but I wanted to remind them that nature has a different side. It can be scary, but it can also have a kind face, one that provides us with many things. I wanted them to experience that side of things."
