KEISUKE ASAYAMA（KEISUKE）

In 2004, I began working as a buyer, sourcing clothing and lifestyle goods in Thailand. As I spent much of my twenties growing alongside this country, I came to love Thailand and began to imagine living here one day. That idea took shape in 2014, when I founded octo in Bangkok. Starting a company overseas for the first time was itself a major challenge for me.

I did not come from the apparel industry. Our first store was octo TOKYO, a shop specializing in T-shirts. Selling clothes was never the starting point in itself. The starting point was to think about what would bring people joy, what they genuinely needed, and what I could make possible at that moment. That remains the origin of octo. Because I had no prior experience, I learned from the customers in front of me and from the people doing the work, expanding what we could do one step at a time.

Along the way, we established a screen-printing factory and a sewing factory, connecting planning, production, and sales. Another major turning point came when I learned to entrust work and decisions to our people. We encourage everyone to speak openly and act on their own judgment. At the same time, we stay accountable for the result. octo today has been shaped by people with different roles supporting one another and moving the company forward together.

In 2020, octo faced a crisis that threatened the company’s survival. Soon after opening a new store and investing in equipment in January, our sales fell by 99%. At the time, 99% of our sales came from international visitors to our physical stores. We had three months of operating funds left. By the end of February, I had applied for bank financing, but the amount offered on the morning of April 3 covered only half of one month’s operating costs. I decided to return to Japan to pursue the last option still open to us.

We would create work in Japan and produce masks for the Japanese market. We had never made masks before, but we asked what kind of product people would truly need and moved immediately. From our stores to the screen-printing factory and office, everyone focused on mask production, regardless of their usual role. The company was able to keep moving forward because our people stepped beyond their job descriptions and worked together. I remain deeply grateful for what they did.

That experience taught me that the strength of a company does not come from equipment or systems alone. It comes from people who share a purpose, consider what they can do, and act. At octo, we value freedom and results together. Freedom does not mean doing only what you want. It means using your own judgment, taking responsibility for it, and learning from the result. Sewing, retail, planning, office work—there is always someone’s smile at the other end. I want octo to be a company where making today’s work a little better than yesterday’s leads both to personal growth and to someone else’s happiness.

For me, some of life’s greatest joys are spending time with family and friends, and working toward a shared goal with others. octo feels like a family not simply because people are close. It feels that way because, in difficult moments, people have stepped beyond their roles to support one another and have carried their work through to the end. We will continue building a place where every person can find a challenge suited to where they are and grow together with their teammates.

Looking ahead, octo aims to grow beyond apparel into a lifestyle company that makes everyday life more interesting. Whatever we begin, our standard will remain the same: What will bring people joy? What is genuinely needed? And what can we do now? By continuing to earn the trust of our customers, business partners, and team, we will create new beginnings from Bangkok. We will remain committed to results while wholeheartedly enjoying the challenge itself. I want to build the next chapter of octo together with the people we have yet to meet.