Life is beautiful
The Concept
The concept of morukan.art is the association of a great denim tote bag produced by artisans and an artist who designs a beautiful artwork shaped to become the front pocket of the bag.
From human point of view
> marukan.art = artisans ✕ artist
From product point of view
> marukan.art = denim tote bag ✕ artwork
Life is beautiful
The Product
The fabric is the world famous Denim made at Fukuyama, Japan.
It's 100% cotton.
The fabric is bi-colored with always a face in dark blue
(during ordering, you can choose if you want the dark blue face, inside or outside)
The bag is large enough to carry all your daily personal belongings.
The bag has long handles to easily open it. One handle can stay on your shoulder while you open it wide.
The bag has also 3 inside pockets to separate keys, smartphone, wallet...
A gentle magnet keeps the bag close; it allows to open quickly the bag with one hand only.
Life is beautiful
The front pocket which could carry a A5 notebook is in white cotton.
The artwork is printed on the pocket with vibrant inks, before being sewed on the denim bag.
A printed back pocket could be added in option; this way you could wear 2 completely different artworks on the same bag.
(the characteristics of the second printed pocket are exactly the same as the front one)
At the bottom, we put a piece of real Japanese tatami to keep your bag in good shape; this way your bag can stand perfectly.
The fabric of the tatami is natural washi paper; there are several colors (white brown, flax color, gray cherry color...).
The stiff bottom is water-resistant.
(curious to know everything about our denim bag? so have a look here!)
Life is beautiful
The Making
Life is beautiful
All of the components for your bag are made in Japan, and most of them locally in a 17 km circle around our place.
| Item | Material | Operation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Denim - 100% cotton | making | Fukuyama, Japan |
| Artwork | 100% cotton | printing | Kyoto-fu, Japan |
| Bag | 100% cotton | sewing | Kyoto-fu, Japan |
| Tatami | natural washi paper | making | Kyoto-fu, Japan |
(interested to discover our secrets of fabrication? have a look here!)
Life is beautiful
Our Story
TokiPY (the owner of morukan.art brand) is an artistic collaboration (from France, the US, Japan) to create lovely daily products based on cute and colorful designs. We are settled near Kyoto, Japan, and for the past 3 years, we have created more than 150 original designs for kids and their parents.
As we deeply think that Art should be worn and used daily, we started to work with print-on-demand suppliers; we had dramatic experiences for the customers (and also for us) with for example a sitting unicorn tilted at 10 degrees, orange that looked like brown, or even clothes delivered with holes?!
So we started to create our own network of local craftsmen in Japan to make high-quality products that we are proud of selling and that customers trust and are happy to wear.
After some synchronicities and many hours of prototyping, we created a fashionable tote bag, and the related brand called "morukan.art", made with the world-famous Denim of Japan and customizable with Artworks.
About us
We are a Franco-Japanese couple living in Kyoto Japan, passionate about graphic design and everyday objects combining tradition, fabric, and colors. We are focused on creating great products we could use daily.
We have worked on morukan.art for more than one year and we are delighted to be able to offer you a unique product of high quality, customizable, and made by talented artists and craftsmen.
Contact
If you have any question, remark, suggestion or request for collaboration, send us a message via the form
Life is beautiful
Life is beautiful
Online shop (only for Japanese residents)
This online shop is reserved for Japanese residents who want to benefit of tax donations (you pay your tax to the city and you get the bag you want to buy as a gift).
This online shop is guaranteed by our partner Satofull.Click on the bag of your choice and take advantage of tax donations.
Flowers of life - purple pink
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
White sakura - Yuzen on silk
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
16,500 ¥
Flowers of life - purple
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the baby unicorn Fireworks
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the unicorn on Galaxy
Denim tote bag - purple outside, blue inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the baby unicorn on Rainbow
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Flowers of life - purple cyan
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni la licorne
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Flowers of life - purple green
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the baby unicorn on Candy Clouds
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the baby unicorn on Rainbow
Denim tote bag - purple outside, blue inside
6,900 ¥
Yuni the baby unicorn exploding rainbow
Denim tote bag - blue outside, purple inside
6,900 ¥
Life is beautiful
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the denim maker as famous as you say?
Honestly, yes, but make your own opinion by checking these links
- company's website: kaihara-denim.com
- Uniqlo references: partnership / news
- Levi's references: blog / news
Can I choose the second color of the Denim?
Foremost, you can choose if the blue denim is used to make the outside the bag, or the inside.
- For individuals, the second color of the denim, which is the back of the fabric, will depend on our stock; the available colors are set in the order form (we have Purple in stock for the moment).
- For businesses that order at least 30 items, can choose the second color in our catalog of denim.
Can I choose the color of my tatami bottom?
Yes, definetely! Our supplier proposes 14 colors of washi paper and they have all in stock.
Just the stripes of the borders would be navy blue like the ones used to sew the inside of the bag; this is to keep class the design of your bag.
Can I drawn my tatami planch?
We designed and built a hard bottom that could withstand rain or liquid spilling into the bag. We didn't attempt to submerge the tatami mats in a tub or let Stuart Little surf with them.
Please use this piece of craft correctly（⌒▽⌒）
Can you print my own picture on the pocket?
Yes, we can! Contact us directly to explain your project and we will send you back the template and specifications.
We might charge you reasonable fees to prepare your data for printing.
I am an artist and I would like to order several bags with my artworks printed on them to resell them.
We are open to this kind of collaboration, so feel free to contact us directly.
I am a business owner and I would like to order several bags with my brand on them to offer/resell them.
We are open to this kind of collaboration, so feel free to contact us directly.
I am representing a group of friends who would like to buy in bulk to reduce sending fees.
We are open to this kind of collaboration, so feel free to contact us directly.
I received my bag but I do not like it; how do we manage it?
We both have the same objective: you wear daily the bag with the artwork you love. So based on that, if you do not love it, you could send it back to us and you will get a refund. You just have to match the following criteria:
- the printed artwork is from our catalog (we cannot refund a bag made with your own pictures)
- all the components of the bag (including the tatami) are in perfect condition
- you support the shipping costs from your place to ours
Life is beautiful
The making details
Our production is localized in Japan, and except for the Denim fabric which is made at Fukuyama, all our suppliers are located within 15 km near Kyoto.
Our supplier for the Denim has been an expert on fabric since 1893. It is one of the only manufacturers in the world that integrates all stages of the denim manufacturing process, from raw cotton to finished denim roll, including spinning, dyeing, weaving, and finishing.
Its fame is international and it works with Uniqlo, Levi’s, Lee, GAP... and us!
Our printer is a work center for the disabled people with impressive machines which make such fine printing.
Our couturier has produced many different kinds of products like bags, dolls, obi for kimono... since 4 generations. It is a human-sized company capable of producing small to medium series like ours.
Our tatami maker has built tatami for temples and shrines for 5 generations (~120 years); they love the diversification brought by the manufacture of our bag bottoms. Moreover, the factory is located in the same city as us.
The quality of our bag is ensured by the century-old know-how of our Japanese craftsmen.
The product details
We designed the product we dreamed of, we use daily, we love ♥‿♥
The bag is composed of 3 main elements
a nice tote bag in great Denim
a light and rigid tatami as the inside bottom of the bag
an outside pocket with exclusive artwork printed on it
1. a nice tote bag in great Denim
The bag is large enough to carry all your daily personal belongings.
H x L x W = 34 x 30 x 15 cm ~ 13,4'' x 12'' x 6''
The bag has long handles to easily open it (height = 32 cm ~ 12,6'')
One handle can stay on your shoulder while you open it wide.
The bag has also 3 inside pockets to separate _keys, smartphone, wallet...
_
A gentle magnet keeps the bag close; it allows to open quickly the bag with one hand only (and if your environment needs safer closing, you could get 3 magnets in options).
The fabric is the world-famous Denim made at Fukuyama, Japan.
It's 100% cotton 12,5 oz. The fabric is bi-colored with always a face in dark blue.
2. a light and rigid tatami as the inside bottom of the bag
At the bottom, we put a piece of real Japanese tatami to keep your bag in good shape; this way your tote bag can stand perfectly.
The fabric of the tatami is natural washi paper.
There are many colors (white brown, flax color, gray cherry color...); choose yours!
With the components used to make it, the stiff bottom is water-resistant.
3. an outside pocket with exclusive artwork printed on it
The front pocket which could carry an A5 notebook is in white cotton.
The artwork is printed on the pocket with vibrant inks, before being sewed on the denim bag.
A printed back pocket could be added in option; this way you could wear 2 completely different artworks on the same bag. (the characteristics of the second printed pocket are exactly the same as the front one)
Your own picture can also be part of the project! We love flashy colors and kawaii designs, but you might prefer wearing your own artwork or "your family pet sleeping on a bench"!
So keep in mind, we can print it for you ☚(°ヮ°☚)