The close relationship between fashion and interior

Yuichiro Noguchi
Aug 25
5 min read

Updated: Aug 26

Fashion and interior are closely related as something that represents the person's appearance and inner side.

However, it is also true that although people say that the content is important, there are many people who spend both awareness and money on appearance.

The market size of the domestic fashion industry is approximately 9 trillion yen (2019). On the other hand, the interior industry is 1.3 trillion yen (2019), which is less than 15% of the fashion industry.

If the average annual income of Japanese people is 4.5 million yen, it is said that the ideal cost of clothing by a certain FP is 2%, and then the average cost spent on fashion is about 90,000 yen per year. In addition, if the ratio of the market size of the fashion industry and the interior industry is multiplied by 15%, the annual cost of people on interior decoration is only about 15,000 yen.

This is a number calculated from the average value, so I think there are many parts that cannot be calculated simply, but it does not change the fact that the market size of interiors in all industries is small, so interior shops and interior miscellaneous that can be seen in the city There is no difference in the fact that it is less in everything such as magazines.

In the first place, the reason why few people are interested in interiors is that the house is basically rarely shown or seen by people, so I think the main reason is that there are many people who are not particularly aware of it.

In particular, there are many men who think that work is a priority and spend a short time at home in the first place, and that the house is just to sleep. In co-working households, efficiency tends to be prioritized, and many people can't spend money or awareness on interiors that are not daily necessities. I guess.

In addition, one of the reasons is that interior products, including furniture and home appliances, have a longer period of use than clothes, the purchase cost is high, and the frequency of replacement is low.

It seems that such a thing may be the fundamental reason why the interior market is not exciting, but on the contrary, what kind of people spend money on interiors?

From the general image of "rich = mansion", there may be a strong impression that it is the pleasure of people who have money to be obsessed with interiors, but in fact, the design sensitivity is high. There are many people, and it seems that there are many women in their late 30s to 50s.

Many women are more sensitive to fashion than men, so women tend to be the main focus in interiors, but in recent years, reflecting that more and more men are working in fashion-related work, not only fashion More and more men are also particular about interiors.

However, men tend to have a strong collector's temperament, so there is a tendency to prefer so-called "masterpiece furniture" and "vintage furniture" that are easy to reflect such hobbies and preferences, especially as a collector of vintage furniture The mid-century boom, including the world-famous NIGO, and the Eames Chair, which occurred mainly among men's fashion officials in the 90s, can be said to be the best example.

Also, if you look abroad, in New York in the 1980s, Mark McDonald's furniture gallery "Fifty/50 Gallary" featured Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Baschia, and Robert Mapleso. It is said that celebrities like Pu bought mid-century furniture at a high price, but in the case of men, I think they see it as part of the collection rather than enjoying the interior.

As mentioned above, furniture and interiors are not essential, and famous overseas brands and vintage furniture are much more expensive than those handled by ordinary furniture stores. Among the top 10 sales companies in the Japanese interior industry include Nitori, companies that handle relatively low-priced furniture such as MUJI, IKEA, and Nafco, Actus, which is slightly higher than them, and world-famous luxury When it comes to Cassina, an interior brand, the average price range for a single chair is 200,000 to 300,000 yen, and it is not uncommon for sofas to exceed 1 million yen.

Even if you are interested in interiors, only a handful of people can buy such expensive furniture, and no matter how high fashion-sensitive people are, there are few people who are so obsessed with interiors that are rarely seen by people in the first place. This is the current situation.

Both fashion and interior are one of the means of self-expression, but while fashion has a strong aspect of self-expression, interior is basically not intended to show people. By being praised and feeling a sense of superiority when you meet people in a fashionable outfit, it not only satisfies your desire for self but also for approval by others, but the interior is about whether you feel comfortable or not, so it only satisfies the desire for self-approval. .

A long time ago, there was often an analogy of a person riding a Ferrari living in an apartment of 4 and a half tatami mats, but it is to satisfy one's desire for approval by attracting everyone's attention when riding a luxury foreign car. It seems that you will be asked what's wrong with car lovers, but what everyone is paying attention to is not only cars, but also what kind of people and lifestyle the people in the car are living.

Even though they seem to be living a lifestyle that others envy, even if they ride around in luxury foreign cars, dress up in famous brand clothes, and actually live in an apartment of 4 and a half tatami mats and sipping cup ramen, few people are envious of them. I think people like this are rare, but there are still many people who spend money on vanity, and as mentioned at the beginning, the annual cost of interior decoration is only about 15,000 yen. It may be.

Of course, the person who is really attractive has a nice appearance, but more than that, the personality and story have depth, and when you visit your home, the interior has a taste that makes you feel the personality of that person, and there are many things that are unexpectedly. Each one has a particulary and a story, and it is interesting including that. Surprisingly, such people do not wear high-end foreign cars or good-name brands, and I feel that they often wear a little unique clothes casually.

Neither fashion nor interior is a daily necessity, but it must be an important element to enrich your life. I don't think that you spend money on fashion and interiors just because you are rich, but because you know the meaning of true wealth, you will have a high interest not only in fashion but also in interiors.

Although their income varies from person to person, everyone lives with limited money and time. A person's life is determined by where he spends his money and time. It is also important to be seen by others, but more than that, creating an environment where you can live with happiness on a daily basis will lead to a truly rich life.

As Marcel Wonders, a Dutch designer, said, "What is around a person makes that person," a home affects people more than clothes.

Interior is a word that expresses the inner side of a person. Obsessing interiors and buying expensive furniture are not the same. Just as not everyone who is particular about fashion is dressed in famous brand clothes, the interior carefully chooses things that match your values one by one, and live together while cherishing what you choose. I think it has the value and meaning of the fact.