We originally came up with the idea for cardboard furniture during a university class and started making it.

I'm often asked if I started this because it was environmentally friendly, but originally I was interested in the furniture needs of university students living alone .

Challenges for college students living alone

Students living alone tend to buy cheap, safe furniture in the thousands of yen range . There are not many sizes to choose from. When moving, they often throw away the furniture because it is not expensive enough to take the time and money to bring it to their new home, and they are not sure if it will fit in the new house.

Throwing out bulky waste is a lot of work . You need to calculate the number of waste disposal tickets you need based on the type of item you want to dispose of, choose a date from your schedule that is filled in for the next 1-2 months, purchase and attach the bulky waste disposal ticket, and dispose of the item in the presence of someone.

There are companies that offer purchasing services, but they cannot pick up inexpensive, pre-assembled furniture .

Even if you give it to someone else, it can be difficult if you don't have many connections , and it also depends a lot on the timing of the person taking it over.

Of course, it seems silly to pay money to have it taken away .

Why did we focus on cardboard?

Our CEO, Wada, moved seven times during his student days when he went on to study, took time off, and returned to school, and he was tired of buying cheap furniture and then throwing it away.

Kamikagu was started with the idea that it would be great to create furniture that is well designed, can be custom made to fit any space, is inexpensive, and is easy to dispose of.

The material we looked at was cardboard .

Cardboard is cheap and light . It can also be recycled as a resource. It is also easy to process , and complex three-dimensional objects can be made using 3D data.

Cardboard has a cheap image, but I think it still has value as a material . For example, if cardboard were more colorful, beautiful, and water-resistant, don't you think there would be many more ways to use it?

Furthermore, cardboard is the only material in Japan that boasts a recycling rate of over 95% . We want to create a sustainable cycle by creating exciting products out of cardboard, which are then reborn as new materials through existing recycling channels.

By reducing costs, we hope to one day be able to address the furniture issues facing students that we had originally envisioned.

Kamikagu's Concept

Finally, let me touch on the concept of Kamikagu.

"It fits in space, and it will surely fit on Earth too."

This brand concept embodies our desire to enrich spaces with beautiful furniture, while at the same time contributing to reducing the burden on the earth by using environmentally friendly cardboard material.

We sometimes hear people say, "Because it's made from cardboard, it's environmentally friendly." We don't think this is wrong, but what we're aiming for is a product that people will think, " I want to buy it because it's made from cardboard ."

And we want to create a world where the burden on the environment is reduced across society as a whole as a result of the selection of good products. To that end, Kamikagu will continue to provide and promote beautiful products that pursue the value that can only be achieved through cardboard .

You don't have to buy our furniture. We just want you to become a fan . If you've read this article and are excited about the future of cardboard furniture, please support Kamikagu.