For their final exhibition of this year, CREATION GALLERY G8 and Guardian Garden, both operated by Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd., will hold a joint show titled “CREATION Project 2012: EAST ALOHA.” Both venues will simultaneously exhibit aloha shirts designed by 177 creative artists and tailored in Fukushima.

In 1990 CREATION GALLERY G8 and Guardian Garden launched a series of annual charity exhibitions targeted at conveying the fun and enjoyment of art and design to a large number of people. Each year works created without monetary compensation by artists with links to the galleries have been put on display and offered for sale, and the proceeds have been donated to various charity causes. In 2009 this annual undertaking was renamed “CREATION Project,” since which the aim has been to make creative proposals of how our daily lives can be enriched through design.

For CREATION Project 2012, aloha shirts designed by 177 creative artists are being tailored at garment factories located in Fukushima. Aloha shirts are said to have been “invented” by Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, who transformed their kimonos into short-sleeved, open-necked shirts adapted to their new climate. In the native Hawaiian language, the word “aloha” has various meanings. Most often it is used as a greeting: both “hello” and “goodbye.” But it also has alternate meanings including “love,” “compassion,” “mercy” and “peace.”

In Japan, the apparel industry has long been underpinned by the Tohoku region, which has traditionally been one of the country’s foremost garment sewing areas, home to numerous dedicated factories. The local industry suffered significant damage as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster, and this was the impetus behind the decision this year to plan a project that would provide work to factories in Fukushima.

During the exhibition, the aloha shirts on display will be available for purchase at 8,500 yen (tax included) apiece. Each item will be made in Fukushima after order placement. Visitors who purchase an aloha shirt will not only have the pleasure of wearing a meticulously tailored garment; they will also know that they are providing a welcome boost to an industry in the disaster-affected region. Proceeds from the aloha shirt sales will be donated to support children in that region.

We eagerly hope visitors will take this opportunity to participate in this worthy charity project.