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Kato.Yes, that's right. First of all, this season's "SSZ" has two major themes. The first half, which was released at the start of the season, was "POP JOURNEY. This collection was based on the lifestyle of Venice Beach, California, and the other was "552 TROOPS," a military-inspired collection. I had been thinking of doing a military collection in the past, but there are so many brands based on the military, so I thought I would have to come up with a concept that I could be myself in order to do it.

Kato.I thought that my military motif items should have a modern, street-style feel. I thought that items with a new feel, different from vintage military items, would be military items in line with the contents of "Surf & Sk8". That's why the number 552 in the title "552 TROOPS" represents "SSZ" in numbers. Many skate brands are represented by numbers. I decided to express my theme with the number 552. I try to create items that modern military people would wear, but with a street-style feel.

Kato.Yes, that's right. At first glance, this jacket does not look military, but I saw a stadium jacket at a thrift store that said "Navy" on it. I wondered if it was military, so I asked about it, and it turned out to be a military jacket. However, it was not a real military jacket, but rather a team-style jacket, similar to a jacket for a vet or a souvenir jacket, and it was a jacket that represented our crew. I thought it would be better for the military jackets I make. I thought it would be nice to have a team jacket called "SSZ TROOPS," an outerwear that makes you feel like you are part of a team, since you have become a brand now.

Kato.. yes. . and, as usual, more storage pockets. With a jacket like this, don't you worry about the bag to use? A backpack wouldn't look good, and a messenger wouldn't fit either. . . Then, I thought it would be better to have a large mesh pocket on the inside so that it can be used as a bag, or at least a handbag. . I've heard that military people in other countries also have a big difference between when they are carrying a bag and when they are not. . I thought maybe they don't carry them on their backs when they are off duty. It's the kind of jacket you would wear in your off-time. I like the orange color. I had a hard time deciding whether to use black or orange for the ribs. I thought orange would be a good color for now. It was the right choice!

Kato.This jacket is one of the items that is truly the axis of "552 TROOPS". Actually, this jacket is a revenge project; we had planned it once before, but it was dropped. I wanted to make it again someday. Many skaters like military flight jackets. Among them, there is an iconic skater for each jacket, such as Max Scharf for the MA-1 or Jason Jesse for the field jacket. . And for the WEP, who is Gonz (Mark Gonzalez)?

Kato.Ivory Sierra's. I'm not sure if it's the same one or not! . But vintage WEPs are very difficult to make in size. Buzz Rickson's is a company that makes clothes that are faithful to old designs, so it is difficult for them to accept modern arrangements, but I asked them to make a special WEP like the one Gonz wore. Normally, the front pockets of the WEP are located in the middle of the torso, but we lowered the position of the front pockets and added handwarmer pockets.

Kato.This time, we are also making T-shirts and long T-shirts with Gonz. Until now, I had not dared to do this because I love Gonz so much, but I wanted to make a Gonz collaboration item that is unique to "SSZ. I have a lot of Gonz's works, and I like them a lot. I think the reason why skaters are getting so much attention from the clothing industry is because Mark Gonzalez and Neil Brender are active in fields other than skating. Mark Gonzalez is a genuine skater. He has a different way of looking at things and perceiving things. Nowadays, skating and art are linked, and Mark Gonzalez is the origin of skating. He is a model of how skaters make things. It is also good that he makes figurines.

Kato.Yes, that's right. It's really major, so I tried not to make the collaboration look like that. The characters Gonz draws are easy to recognize, so I chose a design that would look as un-Gonz-like as possible. Gonz often draws Mary, but it is unusual for him to draw Christ. If we were going to collaborate, I always wanted to do a design that no one had ever seen before, and I wanted SSZ to be a brand with style like Gonz.

Kato.As I have written many times in the zine, "SSZ" is so focused on pants that it could be called a pants brand (laughs). (Laughs) The reason for this is that I think pants are the item that expresses a man's toughness and coolness. Strange to say, wearing pants with a white T-shirt shows a man's style. I can't wear pants that are too slouchy, and my feelings toward pants are not ordinary.

Kato.Baker pants are designed to look comfortable even when the front and back are the same. The slanted slits in the back pockets make it easy to slip your hands in from the front, which is why they are also known as "Kriss Kross pants. The pants pay homage to the 90's artists who represented the "one-hit wonder," and SSZ is expressing its determination not to be a one-hit wonder, either. But this design is a real close.

Kato.The fabric is also from a fabric manufacturer that I usually work with. It dries quickly and does not wrinkle when worn because it is a poly blend. They can be worn continuously and are stretchable. For skaters, or rather, for street people who are physically active, this is the best fabric. Baker pants have an image of back satin or cotton, but this fabric makes them look like SSZ. This avocado color is a color-specific order for the fabric that was originally available. The other color is black. Black is not often used in military wear, but when you think about making things for the street, olive and black are necessary.

Kato.I like the fact that they have a full lineup of accessories such as gloves, which I feel is only possible with a skate brand. In fact, we are also making watches this season. And these gloves with "ST LINE" were also made last fall/winter. Last time, we made yellow gloves with an asymmetrical design, but this time, we updated that style and made them all black with an austere look. I also eliminated the padding on the palms for a cleaner look. I know it's hard to focus on this product, but I think gloves are great. I don't think skaters nowadays wear gloves very often, but I think skate brand gloves are great.

Kato.Anti-Hero" sometimes comes out with cheap gloves that look like military gloves. They have a design printed on the back of the hand that looks like a raised middle finger. I treasure them very much and always keep them around my desk. I never use them, but I thought they were nice and cool, so I decided to make my own. . I made a reflector and updated the symmetry of the design. The glove commonly known as "ST LINE" is the brand name of the grip, but I changed it to "SSZ" on one hand.

Kato.I've had the opportunity to do a lot of different things in the past. I have seen many brands collaborate with "Vans," so I wanted to create something that was uniquely my own, so I created the "Pocket Vans," which was released in the spring/summer of 2004. Then, at the "Billy's" art show, someone from "Vans" invited me as one of the creators, and I was allowed to create something at Old School, and this is the design I created at that time.

Kato.Actually, I consulted with them about making this into a product for sale, but I got the nod. I really wanted to make these shoes, so I started a signature campaign, put samples of these shoes in stores, and expressed my enthusiasm, and finally got the OK to commercialize them. However, I was asked to think about how to thread the laces because it was too difficult due to the way the shoes are made, so I made the previous "Ura Vans. When I think about it, my favorite "Vans" shoes are "SLIP-ONs. SLIP-ONs are easy to wear, and the design is very Japanese, or rather, it suits Japan. This all-black version is the second in the series. This is the first collaboration with "Vans" for "SSZ. When the project was in abeyance, we had already made a T-shirt, so we reworked that design, and the long T-shirt is exactly the same as before. The hooded version looks the same at a glance, but the deck tape on the skateboard is rough, so we made a flocky print. I wanted the collection to feel more skate-like, so the "Vans behind the scenes" collection was completed.

Kato.That's right. Actually, I have been involved in collaborations between various brands and "Vans" in the past. When selling these collaborations at BEAMS, I was asked to think about how to incorporate the brand designers' ideas into the "Vans" line. I think I was lucky that the "Vans behind the scenes" project came about because of this kind of accumulation of experiences. I think the most important thing is to do everything on an ongoing basis.