Multifunction Table Setting from Modular Housewares Set (napkin and utensil holder)

Although Araki’s design studio PIPa proved successful at attracting buyers from several high-end stores in the early 1970s, sales were unremarkable and the brand ultimately folded in 1976. PIPa’s failure was difficult for Araki, and it forced him to rationalize the downmarket stereo equipment that had so enriched him financially. Design, for Araki, could no longer be about beauty but instead only about sales. He once even cautioned his design partners that creating beautiful, upmarket products, of which no more than a mere handful might sell, would be dishonorable as it meant less work for laborers.