Stylist Masako Ito's best purchase of her life: "French willow basket"

The things people desire reveal their values and outlook on life. What are they willing to buy and what do they value? Shopping is the ultimate consumer behavior, but it also teaches us what we need to add color to our lives. What is stylist Masako Ito's best buy story?

First published in BRUTUS No. 1000, "The Best Purchase of Your Life" (released January 11, 2024)

photo: Satoshi Nagare / text: Masae Wako

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The origin of my love for baskets: I discovered the joy of caring for them and using them for a long time

I bought it for around 30,000 yen at a shop in Jiyugaoka on my way home from high school. It was expensive, but I felt like I should have one. I occasionally wipe it with a tightly wrung cloth and dry it in the shade. It's made of good material and is tightly woven, so it never wears out, and the more I use it, the more it develops its own character.

This was the starting point of my love for baskets, which continues to this day. It may also have been a purchase that taught me the principle of choosing things: "Good things last a long time if you take care of them." For example, I think it cultivated my eye for finding "good things if you take care of them," even among the dusty piles of items in a folk craft store while traveling. It's not something I'm satisfied with just buying, but something that will accompany me through life. That's my best buy.

"French willow basket"
It's a large basket, about 30cm wide. "I often buy things, use them carefully, and then give them away, and this isn't just a basket, but I've always kept this one and used it."

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