DENTO

Over the last 6 weeks, my team (Khushi Shah, Ananya Gupta & Monisha Raju) and I have been working on developing a U.S. market entry strategy for DENTO, a Japanese handcrafted framing company rooted in precision joinery and material integrity, located in the Hiroshima prefecture in Japan.

What began as a product question, “How do frames translate across cultures?” quickly evolved into a deeper inquiry into craft, value, and market structure. We had the opportunity to speak to top framing companies in the US, Downing Frames, Lowy Frame & Restoring, and CITYFRAMES, to understand more about the framing culture in the US.

We conducted detailed interviews and surveys to explore the scale of production, market size, customer preferences, and the supply chain of the American framing industry.

The outcome was a three-step approach on how DENTO can leverage its unique positioning and seamlessly enter the Western market.

Grateful for the conversations, insights, and generosity of everyone who contributed to this work. These conversations shaped this project in ways research alone never could. A huge shout-out to CO:Design & Strategy x JETRO - Japan External Trade Organization for bringing this workshop to Parsons School of Design - The New School.

Learn more about DENTO's products: https://dento.furniture/