Otsumo Co., Ltd, which operates the lifestyle brand HUMAN MADE founded by NIGO, is pleased to announce the appointment of Pharrell Williams.
In the early 2000s, NIGO first met Mr. Williams at his recording studio, which he offered after hearing Mr. Williams was looking for one during his stay in Japan. The two quickly hit it off, with their friendship evolving to joint produce the fashion label Billionaire Boys Club, the Japanese sake brand Sake Storm Cowboy® and the album I Know NIGO!. The iconic duo have continued to take the world by storm with their collaborations, while their mutual respect for each other’s talent and craft has remain unchanged.
Mr. Williams’ appointment as Adviser in 2024 comes as Otsumo pursues expansion of its creativity. As a globally recognized artist and powerful creative force, he will be advising from different perspectives and offering support to take HUMAN MADE to greater heights while helping Otsumo to achieve its vision, “Making life on earth more interesting…from the street.”
■Comment from Pharrell Williams
"Through the Earth, Fire, Water and Wind with and for my brother.
He is also my teacher and has taught me through many lifetimes, this is yet another.
Otsumo means that continues to be us.
“Thank you” has a single definition which deepens when reflected upon and is never ending much like Pi.
That’s how I feel. “
■Comment from NIGO, Representative Director, Creative Director & CEO
“Pharrell Williams is without doubt a cultural icon who impacts and inspires the creative scene. More than that, he is a dear friend, brother and ally. He has supported HUMAN MADE since day one and understands it better than anyone else.Nothing is more heartening than him joining Otsumo.”
■About Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams is a visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur with 10B combined global music streams to date. He has been honored with 13 Grammy Awards, including 2004, 2014, and 2019 Producer of the Year, and ASCAP’s Golden Note Award in 2012. He has received two Academy Award nominations for his original song “Happy” (Despicable Me 2) and for Best Picture-nominated Hidden Figures (2016) as Producer. Williams also received a Golden Globe Nomination for co-scoring the film. In 2019, Williams received an Emmy-nomination for his original song "Letter to My Godfather," for Netflix’s Black Godfather about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. In 2020, Williams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work as The Neptunes.
In 2018, Pharrell narrated Universal’s remake of the classic film The Grinch, authored the book A Fish Doesn’t Know It’s Wet, and released the Netflix Original series Brainchild (2018) with his producing partner, Mimi Valdés. Other projects include Dope (2015), Roxanne Roxanne (2017), Voices of Fire (2020) and Amazon’s Harlem, which has been renewed for a third season.
In 2019, Pharrell founded YELLOW, a non-profit working to even the odds for all youth through education, helping them realize their potential. In 2020, Williams launched Black Ambition, a non-profit initiative that provides a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, healthcare, Web 3.0 and consumer products/services start-ups. A longtime advocate against racial injustice, Pharrell was an integral part in talks with Virginia Governor Northam about Juneteenth being a permanent paid state holiday. In April 2019, Williams launched his first annual SOMETHING IN THE WATER, a multi-day music festival and experience on the beach in his hometown of Virginia Beach.
Pharrell excels as a fashion designer and entrepreneur with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream apparel brands,adidas, Chanel, Moncler, Richard Mille and Bionic Yarn.
In the fall of 2019, Williams teamed up with David Grutman and opened both Swan and Bar Bevy in Miami’s Design District, and The Goodtime Hotel in 2021. In 2020, Pharrell founded Humanrace™, a product company with a mission to empower all individuals in their pursuit of wellbeing across product and people. In February 2023, Pharrell was named Louis Vuitton’s new Menswear Creative Director, having his debut show in Paris in June to wide success.
A longtime advocate against racial injustice, Pharrell was an integral part in the talks with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam about Juneteenth being a permanent paid state holiday, and continued to make the push for it to become a national holiday.
■About Otsumo Co., Ltd.
Based on its corporate slogan, “Making life on earth more interesting…from the street,” Otsumo offers products and services that innovate the lifestyles of people around the world. This includes operating the lifestyle brand HUMAN MADE, founded by designer NIGO and created based on the concept, “The Future is in the Past,” operating CURRY UP, which offers additive-free curry dishes using original spices, and providing production services including branding support for companies of different industries.
https://www.otsumo.com