Stop wholesaling and do business as far as the eye can see.

It has been five years since you launched your own shoe brand, TIMAI.

the present timeThe big change is that we have stopped wholesaling this fall/winter. Wholesaling produces a certain number of items and leads to sales. However, it is undeniable that as a brand, our presence is diminished. The stores we wholesale to are lined with shoes from competitors such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Reebok. It is a very difficult task to make a presence in the market without being buried in the crowd.

It was a drastic decision to stop wholesaling, wasn't it?

the present timeI think TIMAI is a brand that is difficult to convey its quality unless you properly serve the customer, have the customer try on the shoes, and explain them to them. In that sense, the only store we opened in Kyoto in 2014 is a small store of about 3.5 square meters, but we are able to convey the quality of "TIMAI" to customers through customer service. Sales are also going well. In this way, even if the scale is small, I think it is important to do what we can within our reach.

Your former "MADFOOT!" brand was sold at mass merchandisers nationwide, but your approach is the exact opposite of that.

the present timeI think that's right. In the end, I couldn't see the faces of my customers when I was in MADFOOT! I have my own reflections on that.

Am I awesome for having awesome sneakers? Not at all.

What do you think of the sneaker scene these days?

the present timeI think the market has expanded dramatically compared to before and has matured as a culture. However, this has made it difficult for young people to enter the market. It would be nice if people could just casually enter the market like they did at the dawn of Uraharajuku in the past, saying, "I made T-shirts and I'm going to open a store," but ...... it's difficult.

Also, the number of new releases from each brand is just too much. Even someone like myself, who is in the sneaker business, can't cover all of them. In fact, there are quite a few people who are fed up with it, and I often hear from customers that they used to buy sneakers a lot, but are tired of it now.

What do you think about the younger generation of influencers who have been influencing the sneaker scene in recent years?

the present timeI think it's good that new people are coming out, but there are some people whose values are so different from ours that we can't really relate to them. To them, sneakers with a high market price are great, and their logic may be, "I'm great for owning those sneakers, aren't I? (laughs). I wonder why.

We want to be a commodity, not a fashion item.

Could you tell us about some of TIMAI's new models that we should pay special attention to this season?

the present timeThe first one is "JUDO. Ankle-length chukka boots with a switch between full-grain leather and nylon canvas upper.

the present timeThe unique feature of these shoes is the use of IPR (Injection Process Rubber) in the outsole. This sole is extremely comfortable to wear and does not cause fatigue even after long hours of wear. I myself work standing up, and my feet don't get tired at all. I don't think there are many casual shoes that are this comfortable to wear.

Next is "CHOSEI". These side gore boots are perfect for the coming season.

the present time: This was released in Fall/Winter 2016 and was very well received, so we decided to make the same model in a different material.

The designs are all simple and the colors are chic.

the present timeI used to do too many different colors with MADFOOT! (laughs). I also realized that people don't want a variety of colors in their shoes. As for the design, it may be due to my age, but I am conscious of keeping it ultimately simple. I want to make sure to create universally loved products without being influenced by trends.

More to the point, it would be ideal if I could transcend the existing cycle of releasing new products twice a year and make what I want to make when I want to make it. Perhaps it is fashion to release new products in spring/summer and fall/winter, but in that sense, the shoes I want to make are more like commodities than fashion. My feeling is that it would be more satisfying to make something that can always be worn with the same stance, regardless of what is out of fashion.

Takashi Imai gets into running.

Lastly, I know this is a bit of a change of subject, but I heard that you have recently become obsessed with running.

the present timeI don't have a specific trigger, but I think it was around June last year. I just felt like I wanted to run, so I started running. I started running about 5 km at first, about once a week, and then I was able to run 10 km with time to spare, and it became more and more interesting.

What kind of shoes do you wear when you run?

the present timeNike, Adidas, Hoka Oneone, and so on. Nike, Adidas, Hoka Oneone, and so on. It's fun to compare them. I also tried on a pair of "TIMAI" shoes for a test run, and they went better than I expected (laughs).

What are your goals in running?

the present timeMy father was an avid citizen runner who ran about 10 full marathons a year, and I heard that he achieved sub-3 (under 3 hours for a full marathon) after he turned 50 years old. Frankly speaking, I think sub-3 would be difficult, but I myself was in the track team in junior high school, so I wanted to see how far I could go before I turned 50, and I wanted to see how far I could go. For now, I will run the Shonan International Marathon this December. This will be my first full marathon, and I am very much looking forward to it. For now, I would like to run under 4 hours.