In early June, as the rainy season lingered just out of reach and blue skies opened above, Ai Yoshida visited REN’s Kuramae store amidst the festive buzz of the neighborhood.
Founder of the apparel brand ETONOVA, Yoshida transforms vintage clothing and fabric remnants into new creations. We spoke with her about her approach to craftsmanship, how she first encountered REN, and the story behind the ETONOVA × REN collaboration bag.
A one-of-a-kind piece with a touch of humor, featuring a playful portrait.
Van Gogh, Einstein, and Botticelli’s Venus—famous figures and characters from iconic paintings quietly slip into our everyday lives, reimagined as clothing and bags.
With its one-of-a-kind motifs, gentle stitching, and the subtle interplay of fabric textures and colors, ETONOVA’s world has likely caught the eye—and captured the hearts—of many.
Since founding ETONOVA in 2017, Yoshida has been creating pieces by remaking vintage clothing and decorating them with collages of fabric remnants.
Because little has been shared publicly about her creative process, we found ourselves asking question after question—each of which she graciously answered.
We had imagined she might be particularly fond of Western paintings or art in general, but she smiled and said, “I like many things, but only in a broad, casual way—nothing I could speak about passionately for long.”
“I’ve always enjoyed drawing faces,” Yoshida explains. “There’s something interesting about portraits—they still get the point across even if they’re a little distorted. As a motif, they’re fun to work with.
When I see someone intriguing while scrolling through my phone, I save the image and later sketch it onto fabric using a water-erasable pen.
For the embroidery, I use a straight-stitch industrial sewing machine. Since it can only sew straight lines, I have to stop frequently and adjust the angle to create curves. But I actually like that—it keeps the lines from becoming too smooth and gives them an uneven, imperfect look that feels just right.”
As we continued talking about her process, we were surprised to learn that she doesn’t use patterns.
Even when creating multiple pieces with the same motif, she says, “It’s like a one-shot approach every time—I draw directly onto the fabric.”
“It’s a bit like challenging my past self each time,” Yoshida says. “I draw while thinking, ‘Maybe I can do it a little better this time.’ I guess I’m not that interested in making identical pieces over and over. If I kept doing that, I’d probably get bored eventually.”
No two ETONOVA pieces are ever the same—whether it’s the T-shirts and fabric scraps used as the base, or the hand-stitched embroidery.
There’s something special about one-of-a-kind creations: once you happen to lock eyes with a piece, its unique character quietly draws you in—and you can’t help but feel a growing affection for it.
Giving new form to materials that once held someone’s thoughts.
The connection between ETONOVA and REN began around 2021.
It all started when a photo of one of ETONOVA’s T-shirts happened to appear on social media, catching the eye of REN buyer Akimoto and sparking conversations among the staff.
“I instantly fell in love with the pieces—they were just so charming,” says Akimoto from REN.
“I reached out, thinking it might be a long shot, and asked if ETONOVA would consider doing a pop-up with us. To my delight, they kindly agreed to entrust us with the pieces.
Since then, we’ve been regularly hosting ETONOVA pop-ups, and each time, I really feel how strongly our customers resonate with ETONOVA’s world. There’s a kind of natural affinity between us, I think—not just among the REN staff, but also among our customers. It feels like we all share a similar sense of what we love.”
“When I first started ETONOVA, most of my sales were through events where I sold clothing in person,” Yoshida explains.
“But during the pandemic, those opportunities disappeared. Around that time, I started receiving invitations from shops like REN.
I don’t even have an online store, so to have stores I’d never visited reaching out to me felt quite amazing. Of course, I wondered, ‘Is it really okay to send my work to a place I’ve never been?’ But I decided to give it a try, hoping that if my pieces were well-received, that would be wonderful.
And now, finally meeting Akimoto-san today, I can say she’s exactly as kind and warm as I sensed from her messages—it all feels very natural.”
“Even when we’re given the opportunity to host a wonderful artist for a pop-up, it doesn’t work unless the staff on the floor genuinely feel excited about it,” says Akimoto from REN.
“But with ETONOVA, when the collaboration bag was first decided, everyone immediately got excited and said, ‘We want one too!’
Maybe it’s because Yoshida-san shares similar values when it comes to craftsmanship—like her use of fabric scraps and vintage pieces, and her care for making use of materials down to the smallest pieces. The way she approaches her work feels very close to how we think about things at REN. And of course, the way she uses color is just beautiful.”
“Thank you. I guess I just like finding ways to make use of things that already exist, rather than always starting with brand-new materials,” Yoshida says. “I’ve always loved vintage clothing. I don’t go shopping all that often, but when I come across something that really speaks to me, I’ll buy it right away.
That said, I think I tend to use the same things for a long time.”
ETONOVA × "Rejibukuro" — How the Collaboration Bag Came to Life
To celebrate REN’s 20th anniversary this year, we asked Yoshida to create a special collaboration bag.
She reimagined REN’s mini bag, Reji-bukuro, by adding her signature embroidery and collage techniques familiar from her ETONOVA pieces.
At first, Yoshida proposed a design that highlighted the texture of the bag itself, using only embroidered stitching (photo left). Later, she also suggested a version incorporating fabric scraps as collage accents (photo right). In the end, both designs were brought to life.
“I was confident that whatever ideas she came up with, our team would love them,” says Akimoto from REN.
“So I simply told her, ‘Please feel free to create whatever you like.’
At the same time, I was a bit worried—wondering if we might have asked too much, or if she might be struggling with the work. That’s why I was so grateful when she offered so many wonderful ideas.”
“At first, I proposed the stitching-only design, and I heard it had already been approved in the meeting,” Yoshida recalls. “But later, I started thinking that adding fabric might be nice too, so I sent in an additional idea afterwards.
The process involved receiving the pre-cut leather, adding the embroidery, and then sending it back to be assembled into bags. Seeing all the finished pieces lined up like this, I feel relieved and happy that I was able to create something people would enjoy.
This was actually my first time working with leather. Since every stitch leaves a hole, I felt a certain pressure not to make mistakes—but overall, it was a lot of fun.”
A mini bag that feels as easy and effortless as a simple shopping bag.
The Rejibukuro, a tote bag inspired by the familiar shape of plastic shopping bags, has been part of REN’s lineup since its early days.
It’s made from REN’s original pigskin leather, HALLIE, created with the hope of introducing more people to the charm of pigskin.
Thanks to HALLIE’s unique balance—neither too stiff nor too soft, remarkably lightweight, thin yet durable—the casual feel and surprising capacity of the Rejibukuro are brought to life in a way that perfectly suits its design.
When it was first released, the Rejibukuro was made in a slightly larger size. However, after receiving feedback from customers, we refined the dimensions, and it has since evolved into a practical size that comfortably fits items like water bottles and A4 notebooks.
Its simple design also makes it a perfect gift.
The ETONOVA collaboration bags are available in three classic REN colors: camel, pink beige, and black.
When asked, Yoshida shared, “I think pink beige is my favorite.” The neutral tones make these bags easy to pair with a variety of outfits and occasions. We hope you’ll enjoy using them freely and often, without hesitation.
Kindly note that this item is sold exclusively at REN’s directly managed stores and REN WEBSHOP, and is not available through the global online store.
《ETONOVA POP UP SHOP》
**Kuramae**
June 7 (Sat) – 15 (Sun), 2025 — *Ended*
**Kagurazaka**
June 20 (Fri) – 29 (Sun), 2025
**JOINUS Yokohama**
July 4 (Fri) – 21 (Mon, public holiday), 2025
**Hanshin Umeda**
Starting July 11 (Fri), 2025
In addition to the **ETONOVA × REN Collaboration Bag**, a variety of other items such as shirts will also be available. We invite you to stop by and take a look.
-PROFILE-
ETONOVA
Founded by Ai Yoshida in 2017, ETONOVA takes its name from a playful reference to the Japanese character for “thought” (思), which contains the shapes resembling the katakana characters for "E-to-no-ba."
The brand gives new life to vintage clothing and fabric remnants that have carried someone’s stories, creating pieces that add a small lift to everyday life.
Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/et.nova
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