Our Team
The team behind Atelier Gate
Not a single point of contact, but a team with a proven track record — with you from the first idea to the finished brand.
Kentaro Kashimura
President, Itoguchi Inc. / Founder & CEO, KAZAANA Inc.
Born 1987 in Ishioka, Ibaraki. Joined the major bridal company Novarese in 2009 as a wedding planner and new-store developer, opening venues, restaurants and shops not only across Japan but also in Korea and China.
After leading corporate management at Vantage Management, he founded KAZAANA Inc. in 2017. Under the mottos “be an outsider who breaks conventions” and “solve the waste hidden across Japan,” he has built a portfolio spanning video branding, product development and the revival of historic buildings.
At its core is BECOS, a media-commerce platform devoted to Made-in-Japan brands — connecting craftspeople nationwide with innovative products and carrying them worldwide through cross-border e-commerce. He also leads the New York street-kimono brand VEDUTA and a partnership with JTB's U.S. arm.
A judge for Japan's national tourism-product awards. Since 2024, he has served as President of Itoguchi Inc., leading Atelier Gate.
Hirokazu Okano
President, OKANO Inc. (5th-generation Hakata-ori head)
Born 1971 in Fukuoka Prefecture; graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics, Meiji University.
After founding an HR consulting firm, at 26 he took over OKANO — a Hakata-ori weaving house founded in 1897 (Meiji 30) that, after 13 straight years of losses, stood on the brink of closure. Guided by a philosophy that economics and culture must both thrive, he set about rebuilding the business.
Declaring an end to subcontracting, he launched the in-house brand OKANO and built a direct-sales structure and directly-run stores that bypass wholesalers — establishing a vertically-integrated (SPA) model rare in traditional crafts and steadily raising the brand's value.
Opening at GINZA SIX and beyond, he has shared the appeal of Hakata-ori at home and abroad, while also supporting the branding and business development of traditional industries across Japan, such as Arita-ware.
In recent years, guided by the conviction that “to preserve culture, culture must stand on its own as an economy,” he has advanced ways to pass Japan's traditional culture to the next generation — taking on new cultural ventures that connect traditional crafts, philosophy, education and regional culture.
“My mission is to rediscover the fading culture of Japan and convey its value to the world.”