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If you have an idea, just try it. You should do everything you want to do.

COHINA Brand Director : Ayako Tanaka

​COHINA is a fashion brand born from the concept of providing a sunny space for petite women around 150cm tall. The brand's representative, Ayako Tanaka, is 148cm tall. A Waseda University alumni, she was still a student in the School of Political Science and Economics when she launched the brand in January 2018. What kind of university life did she have, and how did she become a student entrepreneur? When asked about her origins, she gave the surprising answer, "When I first entered university, I didn't have any particular career aspirations."

If I can't find it, I have to make it myself!

"While I was interested in various things in the world since high school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. So, instead of focusing on one specialty like law or education, I chose to study School of Political Science and Economics as a place where I could see the world from a broader perspective."

Tanaka's driving force after entering university was also to broaden her horizons by interacting with various people and environments. In her first year, she participated in WASEDASAI organizing staff (an officially recognized student club). After being exposed to diverse values in an organization of over 100 people, she co-founded the student group "Bela Virino" with a friend in her second year. They conducted activities in Cebu, Philippines, providing a place for self-expression through makeup and fashion for children from impoverished backgrounds.

"What we emphasized was not just providing support, but making international cooperation something that would leave a lasting impression as an experience. It was a valuable experience where we witnessed many moments where people's potential expanded, such as when local children gained confidence through self-expression and began to talk about their dreams for the future."

Photo on the left: With friends at Entrance Ceremony in April 2013 (Tanaka is in the center).
Photo on the right: Scenes from WASEDASAI organizing staff activities (Tanaka is the third person from the right in the front row).

In addition to the Philippines, Tanaka participated in volunteer activities supporting children in slums in Brazil and interned at an IT company in Bangladesh. However, despite accumulating diverse experiences around the world, she still hadn't found a career path that she felt was "the one."

"That's when I realized something. Even after seeing so much of the world and having so many different experiences, I couldn't find a job or company that I felt I wanted to dedicate my life to. I realized that this wasn't something I could just find; I had to create it myself, so I decided to start my own business."

(Top row) Volunteer activities in Brazil during her second year of university. She worked with students from all over the world, planning intercultural exchange programs and promoting exchange through cosmetics. Tanaka is the second person from the right in the back row (top right). (Bottom row) Activities in Bangladesh during her fourth year of university. She spent her weekdays interning at an IT company and her weekends volunteering with children.

Thus, Tanaka began to see a vague direction for his future. However, she still hadn't decided what theme or area of expertise she should focus on if she were to start a business.

"I thought that if I hadn't yet found a theme I wanted to pursue, it might be a good idea to try working for a company first. If it was a company that seemed likely to broaden my future options, then there would be meaning in getting a job there. With that in mind, I ended up getting a job offer from Google Japan."

With a job lined up and only six months left until graduation, Tanaka decided to start her own business during this short period of student life.

"Among the business ideas I considered, given the limited time I had, the one I felt I could take ownership of and tackle with a sense of ownership was a 'clothing brand for short and petite women.' I'm 148cm tall, and I've always struggled with the limited clothing options available to me."

That said, naturally, I had zero expertise in apparel. Everything from designing to finding factories was a trial-and-error process, but I made full use of the internet and social media, as well as the relationships I had cultivated during my university life.

"I knew from the start that I wasn't a designer and didn't have a background in fashion. I made an effort to deepen my knowledge, but more importantly, I adopted the stance of asking for help from people who were knowledgeable. When I found out that the mother of a friend of a friend was a pattern maker (*1), I somehow managed to ask her to help me with just one garment. At times, I valued the enthusiasm and recklessness that you expect from a student."

*1 A professional who creates patterns (design drawings) for clothing based on design sketches drawn by designers.

She also said that the relationships she formed through her connections at Waseda University were a great help.

"In terms of funding, I presented my business plan to Ayataro Nakagawa (a graduate of School of Commerce), a serial entrepreneur (*2) introduced to me by a senior from Waseda University, and he invested in the project. However, the initial business plan I submitted was rejected with a harsh assessment: 'What are you going to do with such an unprofitable business?'"

*2 This refers to entrepreneurs who repeatedly start businesses, sell them (M&A), and go public (IPO), launching new businesses one after another.

Nevertheless, Tanaka did not give up and revised her business plan and resubmitted it.

"In my initial business plan, I set a target of 1 million yen. From a student's perspective, even generating 1 million yen in sales is uncharted territory. But that wouldn't work as a business. Instead of sticking to reality, I looked at a higher perspective and raised my target to 10 billion yen. When I revised my proposal, I was able to secure investment."

The brand's challenge began with a single small garment.

In January 2018, shortly before graduation, she launched "COHINA" on an e-commerce site. On the first day of sales, one item was sold.

"Since it's a brand nobody knows, at first I thought, 'Maybe one of my friends bought it as a congratulatory gift?' But it turned out to be an ordinary consumer I'd never heard of who was paying 8,900 yen for a single garment. I was so moved by that fact that I was trembling. It gave me a huge boost of confidence, knowing that there really are people looking for clothes that fit small bodies, and that there is a demand for them."

A photo from the founding of "COHINA". I have been doing daily live streams on Instagram from then until now (left). A photo from an event held at the office (right).

In fact, the appeal of "COHINA" gradually spread through social media, and it succeeded in generating such a response that it sold out within a few months of its launch. It was a spectacular launch. On the other hand, it also meant the beginning of a demanding job, juggling the roles of "new employee" and "brand representative" after graduation.

"From 9 am until the evening on weekdays, I was a company employee. In the mornings, after work, and on weekends, I was the representative of 'COHINA,' and I'm not exaggerating when I say I barely had any time to sleep. However, even though I knew nothing about marketing, advertising, or branding, my core motivation was to 'quickly do work that would make people happy,' so the experience of continuing the brand while learning business from scratch in a professional environment like Google was invaluable."

Photo on the left: A picture taken during training in Singapore when joining Google.
Photo on the right: A scene from a buying trip in Korea, with bags full of clothes. At the time, she often traveled abroad on weekends for work with "COHINA".

Afterward, in order to dedicate herself to the ever-growing "COHINA," she left Google after only 14 months. The brand, into which Tanaka has poured all her resources, has shown no signs of slowing down, and has since expanded to include physical stores. Currently (April 2026), there are three permanent stores, with plans to increase further. The brand, which has grown through online sales and social media presence, is now leaping to a completely different phase.

"When we first launched 'COHINA,' there were only about three competing brands, but at one point that number reached 100, creating a situation that could be described as a 'warring states period for petite brands.' Things have calmed down now, but surviving that warring state requires differentiating ourselves. There's a lot to learn and a lot to be challenged about."

The connections forged at Waseda University remain alive and well today, serving as a place for such learning.

"I've had the opportunity to teach at the Waseda Entrepreneurship Training Program many times even after graduating. There, top executives from renowned companies such as Shintaro Yamada of Mercari (graduated from School of Education in 2000) and Shinsuke Usami of CARTA HOLDINGS (graduated from School of Commerce in 1996) have participated as instructors, and they have been willing to give me business advice because we are all alumni of Waseda. Recently, the number of entrepreneurs from younger generations has been increasing, and it's a community that inspires me to think, 'I can't afford to be complacent.'"

A scene from the "Waseda Entrepreneurship Training Course." She served as an instructor and entrepreneur from 2021 to 2024.

To the next generation, current students, she offers encouragement, saying, "You should do everything you want to do." True to Tanaka's character, who started her own business precisely because she "didn't know what he wanted to do," she emphasizes the importance of leaving no regrets.

"If you have an idea, try it. It could be anything—studying, studying abroad, part-time work, starting a business, anything. If you have things you can't process, you won't be able to be honest with yourself. Waseda is an environment where you can meet diverse people and take on challenges, so it should be easier to take a new step. A new path will surely open up for you beyond that."