essential designs - that person's indispensable items
Case06 Daisuke Gemma and John Smedley knitwear.

Genma: I have thought of some very outlandish things, but I think that kind of thing is too fashionable. Of course, Toru's Leica camera and Daisuke's Hermes bag are both wonderful, but if I were to introduce something, I thought it would be better to introduce something that can be bought anywhere in town and that is more closely related to everyday life.

Genma: I am comfortable with myself. In fact, I wear it 300 days out of 365. However, the material used is Sea Island cotton, which is quite important. I wear round-neck short-sleeved knitwear as if it were a T-shirt.

Genma: However, this long-sleeved polo shirt is also one of the seven wonders of the fashion world. What is strange is that they do not sell at all. Mr. Keiji Kaneko and I once had a plan to somehow make it popular, but in the end, even that plan was rejected (laughs).

Genma: To begin with, my work itself is often out of routine. Basically, I work on order, so I have to adjust myself to the client's needs. That's probably why I prefer to wear “ordinary things as usual” when I'm not working. For example, I like to wear "normal" jeans from Double R L. I wear their black jeans once a year. I buy one pair of their black jeans every year, so I have some that are falling apart and some that are still shiny. The ones I bought this year are already the ninth generation. Perhaps I should introduce you to them?

Genma: No, I first encountered it when I was about 18 or 19 years old, at a select store in Japan. The first item I got was a short-sleeved high neck in naso navy blue, and I was shocked at how good the Sea Island cotton felt against my skin. Later, when I moved to London, I still vividly remember that a friend at a clothing store who saw me wearing that knitwear praised it highly. At that time, I strongly felt that the brand was deeply rooted in the lives of the British people. As I delved deeper into the brand, I learned that it also plays a role as a factory for various brands, such as Vivienne Westwood.

Genma: Above all, it is the comfort of Sea Island cotton. I am fascinated by the soft and smooth feel of the extra-long cotton. I choose my size from L to XL depending on the item, but I don't like them to be too tight, so my basic size is XL. I buy five navy pieces at once and run them for one season, washing them in the washing machine as much as I can and taking it easy with them.

Genma: Recently, I have been experimenting with slightly different types, such as pale navy, slightly thicker gauge, and short-sleeved waffle fabric, but my favorite is this type with long sleeves and sleeve ribs that are folded back. One of my senpai colleagues did the same thing, wearing his sleeves with the ribs stretched out.

Genma: （It's Hiroshi. I like the vintage sweatshirt-like look of the long ribs, so I used to wear it with the sleeves extended. When I asked him about it, he told me that he had chosen this item so that he could wear it without folding back the sleeve ribs.

Genma: Right? (laugh). I also used to wear skippers a lot last year, but the long-sleeved polo shirt promotion committee around me said, "Isn't this a bit of a bad idea? I was unpopular with the long-sleeved polo shirt promotion committee around me.