Freedom stems from self-affirmation.

This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" that possess "originality," investigated by Dentsu Inc.'s "Company Design" team. Episode 25 features accessibeauty, a company operating a modeling agency specializing in people with disabilities. Founder Rie Usui transitioned from being a nail technician and launched the company in 2020. We delve into the secrets behind this "somehow vibrant company" with President Usui, who deciphers the complex equation of disability and beauty.

Just over two years since its founding, AccessiBeauty receives a constant stream of inquiries from major corporations. I previously had the opportunity to work with President Usui. What struck me then was an intensely philosophical question I asked myself: "Why do people work?" "Why do people live?" President Usui is simply radiant. So are the talents under her agency. I was convinced this perfectly fit this series' theme of "Why Are They So Energetic?"

When asked about the purpose of business, common answers include sales, profit margins, sustainable growth, or social contribution. But Access Beauty's "secret to energy" seems to lie beyond that, or perhaps before it. I'd like to delve deeper into that area.

Written by: Masato Nakagawa (Dentsu Inc. BXCC)

Accessible Beauty's website, guided by the philosophy "Creating a society where disability and beauty are accepted as normal," features diverse women as image models (from left: individuals with hearing impairment, visual impairment, spinal muscular atrophy, prosthetic limb, and intellectual disability). This founding photo shoot became the catalyst for Accessible Beauty to launch its "models with disabilities."

The Potential of "Disability × Beauty"

President Usui originally trained as a nail technician. From nail technician to president of a modeling agency—that alone is unusual. "I can shine myself. I can help someone else shine. That realization of joy somehow connects to my current work," President Usui says.

While working as a nail technician, she happened to meet a woman in a wheelchair. This encounter became a turning point. "Beauty is something that supports the heart in daily life, right? But I realized that for people with disabilities, the barriers to beauty are high, both in terms of physical equipment and social attitudes. My feeling at that moment was simply 'frustrating!' That's when I thought, 'Can't I train wheelchair-bound nail technicians?' Since nail technician isn't a nationally certified profession, anyone can do it as long as they master the skills. If they could use those skills to make someone smile through their work, what could be happier than that?"

Rie Usui: Representative Director of accessibeauty Inc. Launched a private total beauty salon in 2011, operating under the motto "Beauty, Health, Mind." Established a nail technician training school for people with disabilities in 2018. During two years of volunteer work, recognized the limited employment options for people with disabilities as a social issue, leading to the founding of Accessibeauty in 2020. Works to promote beauty services for people with disabilities, expand employment opportunities for them, and advance societal understanding of disability.

From "Barrier-Free" to "Accessible"

I asked President Usui about the origin of the company name. "Initially, we considered calling it Barrier-Free Co., Ltd. – aiming for a barrier-free society. But it just sounded kind of lame, right? (laughs). I also disliked how it seemed to assume barriers exist in the first place. When I consulted a foreign friend, they said, 'We don't use terms like "barrier-free" overseas; we say "accessible."' I thought, 'Ah, that's good,' and combined it with beauty to create our company name."

Turning that around, it means we still haven't reached an "accessible" society. As symbolized by the Berlin Wall, "Let's tear down the wall!" tends to be a revolutionary slogan. It's easy to rally energy around. But once you actually tear down the wall, you often find yourself wondering, "Huh, what did we want to do after tearing down the wall?" That's because we haven't thought far enough ahead to the "accessible" (i.e., communicable) society and world that lies beyond. We get too caught up in just breaking down the wall. President Usui was looking far beyond the wall after it was down. That's precisely why the idea emerged: Why not try the You Model as the starting point for solving sustainable employment issues?

Masunaga Aira and Muroi Nozomi (affiliated with Accessible Beauty Management), models with disabilities, are active as fashion models for Adastria: GLOBAL WORK.

Charity work isn't sustainable

President Usui states that relying solely on a so-called volunteer spirit won't sustain such activities long-term. "I believe it's essential for these initiatives to be integrated into society and viable in every aspect—economically, mentally, and otherwise. This applies to executives like myself and to the models affiliated with our company. We don't have talents who think, 'I have a disability, so of course people will help me, right?' Instead, they approach it with a proactive, positive attitude: 'I can do this. Look at me! There must be economic value and demand for me too.' Without this proactive, positive attitude, you cannot become a creator of the new era."

The relationship between ideals and monetization is, in a sense, a dilemma for every person and every company. President Usui and each of the talents under his agency undoubtedly grapple with this tension. If they were merely doing work that seemed appropriate under the umbrella of charity, I don't think it would produce the wonderful smiles I've seen from the talents I've worked with before.

At the Access Beauty HP Image Model Photo Shoot: "For the models, it was their first time meeting the staff and their first photo shoot experience," said President Usui. "But through hair, makeup, nails, fashion, and photography, they began to radiate a glow. Everyone present felt the 'power of beauty'." After the shoot, everyone shared this smile!!

Wanting to Hook Society

During the interview, President Usui frequently used the words "hook" and "matching." My interpretation is that the "hook" he refers to is a trigger for realization, a foothold or platform where something can be attached. That vague feeling everyone experiences in adolescence: "I should be able to do something. I just don't know what it is." "That feeling of frustration, that sense of shame or resentment. I think it's something everyone carries, regardless of whether they have a disability or not. In fact, I myself was that kind of girl who 'always admired someone else and couldn't feel confident in myself.'"

President Usui shared that during high school, he struggled with mental health, often feeling downcast and living in a dark mood. "What hurt most was not finding something I wanted to do. It was the frustration at myself for not being able to challenge myself with what I wanted to do. I truly believe those experiences are being put to use in my current work walking alongside people with disabilities." Youth is a continuous cycle of frustration. Whether it's academics, sports, or romance. Why can he do it, but I can't? If you just resign yourself to thinking, "Well, that's just how I am," it might ease the mind. But your heart will never truly be satisfied. The older you get, the more adept you become at giving up. Listening to President Usui's words, I reflected: that's no good. The target of President Usui's hook is society itself. His spirit, challenging something so vast and unstable, is refreshing.

Considerate, but not timid

President Usui points out that in the information society, people tend to want to categorize everything. "In our company's case, it's things like #Model #Disabled. I think that attaching or being attached with a hashtag means you're locking yourself into fixed ideas, or being locked into them, at that very moment."

So, I asked President Usui: What is Accessible Beauty's branding? His answer was a real "Ah, I see!" moment. "I think it's about radiating an overwhelmingly stylish and positive energy." Far from using disability as an escape, it's about using it as a starting point to look forward. President Usui states, "We show consideration for our talent, but we don't hold back." Of course, consideration regarding disability-related matters is necessary. But we don't build barriers. We don't tolerate complacency. That's precisely why we can connect on a deeper level, draw out each other's genuine commitment, and remain partners working to create the future.

President Usui concluded the interview with these words: "I believe my job is to keep providing that kind of 'place'."

Access Beauty's website is here.

Season 2 of Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team's series exploring the secrets of 'vibrant companies' with 'originality.' Episode 25 introduced AccessiBeauty, which operates a modeling agency specializing in people with disabilities.

The Season 1 series can be found here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.

[Editor's Note]

At the end of the interview, I deliberately posed an incredibly difficult question to President Usui: "What is freedom?" Generally, freedom is thought of as "being able to do anything" or "being unbound by anything." Based on that concept, people with physical or mental disabilities would seem unable to be free.

President Usui's answer was this: "Isn't it a way of life built on self-affirmation? Choosing for yourself, taking actions you can stand behind, fully accepting the consequences, and moving forward. Humans tend to retreat into excuses of being constrained. 'This is impossible for me,' 'That is impossible for me.' They rationalize their lack of freedom with reasons like 'I lack talent,' 'I lack money,' 'I lack status,' 'My company is too small,' and so on."

This hits close to home. "Don't retreat into constraints." I realized that's the secret to Access Beauty's vitality. Anyone can talk about empty energy like dreams or hopes. Cutting off the escape route of constraints. That's where true vitality is born.