In October 2022, Hirata, CEO of TISTOU, visited the Henry Dean showroom located in the suburbs of Antwerp, Belgium, for the first time in about two years. He has known Jim, the current CEO of the brand, and his wife, designer Vanessa, for over 25 years. Taking this opportunity to reunite with the two, we once again interviewed them about Henry Dean's manufacturing process.

Recycled glass x handmade

Henry Dean's Identity

--Henry Dean has been using recycled glass as the material for its vases since the brand was launched in 1972.

JimCurrently , the usage rate of recycled glass is about 100% for small pieces and about 50% for large pieces, for a total of about 90%. Unlike soda glass, which is made by melting a loose raw material, recycled glass is prone to air bubbles when melted, and this is especially noticeable with larger pieces.

In the past, we mainly used window glass, but as our technology has advanced, we have started using various types of glass. Recycled glass tends to take on colors such as green and brown, but we want the glass used in Henry Dean flower vases to be as clear as possible. After much research, we came up with our own unique method for making glass clear, such as adjusting the temperature when melting and cooling the glass, adjusting the gas pressure, and adding white glass. At first, craftsmen were often reluctant to use recycled glass. However, because it was a technology that no one had yet developed, we decided to research and use it.

--What is the difference between recycled glass and regular soda glass?

Jim: As mentioned above, recycled glass is prone to air bubbles, but it is also less stable than soda lime glass and difficult to handle. This may be a disadvantage in general, but for us it is an advantage. Because that's where surprises come in. For example, the color can change drastically just by changing the temperature at which the glass is melted by 5 degrees.

Recycled glass is getting attention now that environmental conservation is being called for, but at the time, we had no choice but to use recycled glass because that was the only thing we could get. However, recycled glass shows various expressions, and no two pieces are the same. I felt that this was natural and human, and that it created interesting effects. After my father, Henry Dean, started using recycled glass, it started to attract attention, and various products were made all over Europe. So I wanted to try something that other manufacturers had not done, and established Henry Dean's originality of adding color and blowing it by hand to shape it.

--Recycled glass is what makes up the Henry Dean brand. When I showed a Japanese glass craftsman a Henry Dean flower vase, he said he had no idea how it was made.

Jim: Naturally, creativity is at the root of our work, and we arrived at recycled glass on that basis. And we believe that fusing recycled glass with handcraft is our challenge and our identity.

It's really difficult to make recycled glass products. If you only use it for a little while, it just becomes "ordinary." It doesn't have the look that you would expect from recycled glass. We have 50 years of experience and experience to get to where we are today. When craftsmen blow glass, they can understand the condition of the glass. So that mothers can immediately tell if their baby is crying in a different way than usual.

Colors and shapes that pursue the "Henry Dean style"

--The colors that Henry Dean creates are unique. What is your source of inspiration?

Vanessa: I often get inspiration from nature and the everyday scenery. I love fashion, so of course I'm influenced by it. I saw tropical fish at an aquarium in Spain, and when I was walking in the forest, I saw some plastic trash and thought, "It might be interesting to combine natural colors with bright colors."

I think about colors all the time, and when I have an idea, they appear one after another like dominoes. It's like they fall from the sky. But the most important thing is whether the idea can be realized. Sometimes it's completed quickly, but most of the time it takes months. A single product is often produced in multiple factories, and if there are too many individual differences between factories, it is difficult to commercialize it. So in the end, there are many cases where it can't be realized.

The product in the photo is not currently available for sale.

Jim: She's a perfectionist. She's a modest person who doesn't like to step forward, but she's a creative person with a wealth of ideas that would normally require a team to create something. So ideas often come to me at random moments. I've been in contact with craftsmen for many years and have knowledge of glass, so we sometimes discuss in the middle of the night whether her great ideas are technically feasible.

She can't wait for it to be done, and sometimes she opens the oven in the middle of the night. She gets disappointed when the color isn't what she had in mind, and the chefs get mad at her and tell her, "You can't open the oven in the middle of the night!" (laughs)

--Where do your ideas for design and form come from?

Vanessa: I always want to make something that I intuitively feel is good out of glass. Whether it's a handbag, a fish, or a natural landscape. As for DEAN FLOWERS, the premise is to arrange flowers, so I try to make it "simple" with an emphasis on practicality. When I pursue "simplicity," I sometimes find inspiration in ancient pottery or vases from the 1950s.

We also place importance on whether "simplicity" and "color" go together. That's why DEAN FLOWERS flower vases are simple, but you can tell they're DEAN FLOWERS at a glance. DEAN FLOWERS flower vases are made simply, with consideration given to the ease of arranging flowers, but when they reach the customer, the same product can look classic or modern. I think that's what makes them so interesting, precisely because of their simplicity.

The product in the photo is not currently available for sale.

Jim: People all over the world use Henry Dean flower vases in their own way. And they arrange beautiful flowers in them. It makes me happy and proud to see such scenes.

Murano glass, made on the small island of Murano in Venice, Northern Italy, is a brand that is characterized by its highly transparent glass and vivid colors. Henry Dean is also always trying to create products that are full of energy and have colors and strength that match the raw material recycled glass.

A love for glass connects people

Culture of manufacturing

-How have you inherited founder Henry Dean's creativity and passion for glass?

JimIt 's been 30 years since I took over this job, and 20 years since Vanessa took over the brand's creative direction. In terms of creativity, we've naturally inherited Henry Dean's policies, but I feel that in recent years Vanessa's style has begun to take hold.

As for my passion for glass, I think it is our mission to revive glass factories that are struggling financially and have no way to survive, using the knowledge, technology, and experience that Henry Dean has. I became fascinated with the world of glass when I was a student working at a glass factory in Seville that produced Henry Dean flower vases. I would go to the factory at 5am, learn how to make glass from the craftsmen, and drink tea with them at the cafe opposite during my break. I spent a lot of time with them and fell in love with their passion for glass and their way of life. That feeling continues to this day.

Although many craftsmen are reluctant to take on new challenges, we visit factories frequently to share our know-how and create something together. At first, there were only about eight factories, but now there are as many as 18 factories supporting Henry Dean's manufacturing. The more production sites there are, the more problems arise and the more consultations we get, so I don't have time to sleep (laughs).

--TISTOU has been selling Henry Dean in Japan for 25 years. What are your impressions of TISTOU's creativity, which conveys the appeal of Henry Dean to the Japanese market in a unique way?

The product in the photo is not currently available for sale. 

Gym is fantastic! TISTOU puts a lot of energy into Henry Dean and expresses it in its own way. I feel that TISTOU understands what kind of intention we have in continuing Henry Dean.

I am always impressed by how their ideas are conveyed so clearly, even though they are expressed in a completely different way from ours, in a country with a different history and culture. I can also sense Henry Dean's respect for craftsmanship.

Vanessa : I'm proud that TISTOU is introducing Henry Dean to Japan. I'm really glad that they are so thoughtful, careful, and dedicated. We value not only our products, but also the people behind and around them. I'm always grateful to the staff and craftsmen at Henry Dean , the import agents including TISTOU , the retailers all over Japan, and the customers who use Henry Dean .