Neat, a pants brand with a quirk or two, has crossed the ocean under the guidance of Mr. Reshop Kaneko!

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)During a casual conversation with Mr. Kaneko, I asked him, "Nishino-kun, since you love America, wouldn't it be interesting if you made an American-made " NEET " or something like that? I was like, "Nishino-kun, you love America, wouldn't it be fun to make an American-made 'NEET'? That's how it all started.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Yes, I am. I don't have any connections in the U.S., and I am not fluent in English, so it was difficult to even find such a place. Of course, I had the desire to do something made in the U.S. from the beginning, but most of the time I just ended up wishing I could do it. . So I listened to Mr. Kaneko's story only half-heartedly.

moneyWe were completely standing around talking (laughs). But I was quite serious about it, and I was turned on. I was thinking, "Isn't it strange that it has to be made in the U.S. in the first place? I was thinking, "Why can't it be made in the U.S.A.? I love America so much, and having worked as a press for Brooks Brothers in the past, I naturally thought it should be made in the U.S. That was my dream. That was my dream, and if there was something I could do, I wanted to help. That's how I started working on this project.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)That was last fall, right?

moneyIt was a cold time of year.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). In terms of our schedule, we decided to go to the U.S. in January or so. Then, around December, Mr. Kaneko asked me, "Do you know of any factories in the U.S.? I was asked by Mr. Kaneko, "Do you know of any American factories? I had to leave in a month (laughs). (Laughs). I thought to myself, "This story is still alive! I thought to myself, "This story is still alive! From there, I asked some people who seemed to know a lot about the area, and they told me something like, "They won't take on the project unless you have a lot number. When I told this to Mr. Kaneko, he replied, "I already found it," in a cover-up kind of way (laughs).

moneyYes (laughs). And I couldn't find it for a long time....

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)It was the beginning of the year when we were told that we had found a factory. . It was so sudden that I booked my airline ticket right away and flew to the U.S. the next day.

moneyMoreover, the factory we found was in New York, so we decided to go together.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)As a side note, the airline ticket I bought was to Newark Airport (an airport in the vicinity of New York City). I realized that after arriving at Narita Airport , but I did not know such a place.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Yes . But I was wondering if New York is Newark in katakana? (Laughs). I was worried that I might be going to Newark somewhere on the African continent, and I asked the airport staff to confirm my destination. I asked the staff at the airport to confirm my destination, and I found out that Newark is a city in the state of New Jersey, close to New York City. And this is the night of my arrival.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)We didn't have much of a set-up, so we packed up the story here.

moneyWe didn't even have a meeting, we just told them, "We have decided on a factory, and you can come to New York anytime. Other than that, we didn't have any meetings.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Mr. Kaneko had already arrived in the U.S. before me. I followed him to New York with a cardboard pattern and a sample of "NEET.

money. As I wrote in my blog, they are very Tokyo-like pants. As the concept says, you can wear the "NEAT" pants anywhere, and you can wear them either rough or dressy. Also, I think that the character of the designer really comes through in the items. It is possible to make copies of the same item, but I feel that these pants go beyond that. I think these items are made possible only because of Mr. Nishino.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I had a long career at Brooks Brothers, so my style is based on American traditional, or American dress. I have a long history with Brooks Brothers, so there are many things I respect about them, but I have a feeling that if the silhouette were like this, I could wear them loosely. I myself often wear sneakers, but I simply wanted to make slacks that could be worn with sneakers or sandals. As mentioned in the concept, I wanted to express the style of "NEAT" pants and a tattered T-shirt.

moneySince Mr. Nishino left Brooks Brothers, there has been a strong trend toward not wearing ties and suits, and I feel that this fits in well with the current trends. I think that's why many people wear them for work. When I thought, "What kind of pants can I wear without a tie?", I found that they were not the usual chinos, nor were they too formal dress pants. I think there are many people who would find "NEET" pants to be a good fit in this situation. I think it is very important to be in tune with the trends of the times.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)The timing was also very good. I was talking with Mr. Kaneko the other day about "in-tuck" pants, and in my mind, in-tucks and two pleats are familiar to me, but I think they have successfully matched the times. I have been wearing wide pants for a long time, and I don't wear them because they are trendy, but I have to admit that they have matched the times.

moneyIt's not that I am aiming for something. I think that what I am doing is not because "the market is like this," but because "I am like this," and it just happens to be what the market needs. Otherwise, I don't think it would sell as well as it does, even though it is not inexpensive.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). yes, it's like 30,000 , 33,000 , 35,000 yen.

money. and they did it by accident.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)No, at first I was more interested in working as a freelance PR person. However, when I first started working as a PR, it was difficult to get enough brands, and it was hard to make a living.... During that period, I was finishing work around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., and I thought, "At my age, I have so much time on my hands, so I might as well do something. At that time, pants came to mind. I was doing PR work, but I didn't make a big announcement and just started with the idea that it would be nice if someone close to me would wear them. Then Mr. Kaneko said, "That sounds great," and we started wholesaling. So, I didn't start this business because I wanted to sell. I didn't think it would sell in the first place, and I wasn't involved in manufacturing at all before that.

moneyFirst of all, these are the plant manager and manager.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)The person on the left is the factory manager.

moneyThe day after I arrived in New York was my appointment. The factory was located in a building in midtown, and I showed them the samples I had brought with me, explaining that I wanted them to be made based on the "NEAT" inline.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I started by asking myself, "Can we really make this? That was the beginning of the process.

moneyBut they were like, "It's totally OK!" (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)This is the cardboard. . I brought it with me from Japan. I didn't want to lose it, so I brought it with me on the plane.

moneyThis factory also makes factory brands. I had little information beforehand, but when I opened the door, I found that they were making shirts and woven goods for a certain brand, as well as a variety of other major products.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I was surprised when I visited the factory! I was given a tour of the factory, and I saw that they were sewing a certain flag in a normal way....

moneyIt's like I've drawn them!

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). This is the fabric. . Since it is "Made in USA," we wanted to use "Made in USA" fabrics as well.

moneyThe number of fabrics made in the U.S. is decreasing, especially when it comes to 100% cotton, and there are really very few of them. Even in such a situation, there were many fabrics made in the U.S. here. The factory is a good source of fabrics for good brands, and they have prepared very good fabrics for us. . And among the large amount of fabrics, we found the one we were looking for. We are planning to make a new type of shape called "American Fit. . At the same time, we are thinking about the name of the product, but we are thinking "New Arc" would be good....

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Mr. Kaneko said, "Why don't you just go to Newark?" Like that (laughs).

moneyBasically, we decided to make something in the vein of American pants, etc. at "NEAT," and we finally chose this fabric. It is a chino fabric. But ordinary chinos are not interesting, so we chose a fabric that stands out the most. NEET" is always excessive and exaggerated. The tucks are deep and the seasoning is strong, so I thought it was important to choose such fabrics.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Seersucker is also thicker than normal, staggered patterns are bigger, and so on. I often use something a little exaggerated.

money. it came out at the end, this tough dough. . We were talking about how you don't see this very often in Japan, how crispy it is, and how great it would be. . If we hadn't decided on this, there was nothing we could have done.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Yes, it is.

moneyEven if there was a factory, there was sometimes no fabric available, and we were really lucky. We said we wanted the color to be like the old work pants, and this is what we came up with.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)Come to think of it, it was super snowy in New York at that time (laughs).

moneyThe snow was terrible, wasn't it? It was so cold.

money. and then I started looking for a button.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). I knew I wanted to do the buttons over here, too.

moneyI went to the button shop you referred me to.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)You mentioned that this is the restaurant used by a famous designer, right?

moneyIt was a place that seemed to be a purveyor of brands around the designer. We finished the button selection process here, and decided to wait until we returned to Japan to work out the details. Next, we talked about the need for a "Made in USA" tag. . It was all just an idea (laughs).

moneyI was walking around town and happened to find a place that looked like an attached name shop. . here were flags and boxes of tags that said MADE in USA.

money. That's right. I was reminded once again how hard it is to make things.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I found a transparent garment bag at this store. I thought it would be useful for leasing because I could see inside , so I bought one for myself.

moneyAnd then he buys all kinds of things and is happy (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)As for future plans, we are currently revising the pattern and will have a sample soon.

moneyIt was an unusual road trip, but it went surprisingly well. Everyone was worried, but we got the results we wanted (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)You asked locally, "Is there a button shop around here?" . I asked them.

moneyYes, it is. This time it is completely "MADE in NY".

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)There were many fabric stores and factories in that area.

moneyJust like buying, I liked the idea of having half of the schedule planned out and then improvising the rest. It makes it more memorable. Even if we had a schedule from the beginning that said, "Let's go here for the buttons," it might not be possible to find any when we arrived at the destination.

money. even on the first day in New York, we had no idea what kind of thing we would end up with. It is numbing to do something while not knowing what is going to happen.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)The people at the factory were like, "Totally OK!" . I was very happy that the factory people were like, "It's totally OK! I was told, "Explain this detail in English," but I couldn't explain it. I had brought the English specifications with me, but there was no need for them at all. They said, "All you need is a sample and the pattern data.

moneyBy working on this project, I was able to learn more about "NEAT" pants. For example, when we talked about how to make "American fit" pants, I asked him why the tucks were in-pleated. I was told, "Even at Brooks Brothers, all of our customers who are particular about their tucks are implicitly pleated. Also, there was a good reason why there were no buttons in the places where there normally would be.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)My pants are extreme in silhouette as well as fabric. They are either very tapered or very wide. When Mr. Kaneko and I talked about what we should do for an American fit, we agreed that Americans wear loose-fitting pants that look rather normal, so we decided to make something in between.

moneyThey are somewhere between wide and tapered. I used to think that both wide and tapered were too extreme to wear, but I think there are many people like that. Personally, I am very happy about this project.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)NEETO" uses the most dressy shape. Most-dressy" pants, as typified by tuxedos, have a very minimalist shape. For example, ordinary pockets are slash pockets, and I think the most dressy pockets are the ones that are in a straight line vertically. I want to get rid of everything I don't need, and I don't even need buttons on the back pockets. It's a hassle to put a wallet or something in there, and I don't think there's any need to close them in the first place. The "NEAT" is a combination of my own ease of use and the dressy side of me. The concept is to create dress slacks that are stripped down to the bare essentials, using interesting materials and silhouettes.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)There is a logical part to it, but I haven't had a chance to explain it recently... . The buyers are like, "It's selling, isn't it? They don't ask me that much. . This was a good opportunity for me to think about my brand again. It has been three years since I launched my brand, and I feel that I am fine the way I am now, and that I did not make a mistake.

money. doing something like this takes me back to the beginning. There are a lot of things to think back on.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I have been working with "reshop" since the first project, so I have a special feeling for them.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). Right now, there is "United Arrows Harajuku Main Store," an eyeglass shop called "Continue" in Ebisu, and also "Kagure.

moneyThey don't expand it at all. That makes us happy, though (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)This is especially common these days. There are cases where people come to see a product because it is selling well, but they don't look at it properly, so in those cases, we turn them down.

money. It is difficult to know how to strike a balance. We are living in an age of a surplus of goods, so I think it is very important to supply the right amount of goods. The moment a product is "available everywhere," it often cools off. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). in terms of growing the brand, I think that's what we need to do.

moneyOnce this is completed, I'm looking forward to adding another standard item to the "reshop".

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I too would be buying from a "reshop", wouldn't I?

moneyThat's right (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I would like a discount! (LOL)

moneySince we import the products, it is impossible for Mr. Nishino to pull his inventory during the process. It is a strange thing to say, since it is Mr. Nishino's brand (laughs).

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I can't do it by myself. I can't do it personally, because of the procedures over there and all... . I can't say anything...

money. it's going to be ours (laughs). Oh, by the way, I'm going to use inches for the size. We always used to use the Italian notation.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I usually do it in 44, 46 or something like that, but this time it is in inches.

moneyWe would also like to figure out how to market it.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise)I still want to be on the store floor.

money. Yes, that's right. Also, I like the idea of creating a space that specializes in pants anyway, like "Neato's Pants Shop". . I mean, I would like to make Americans wear them.

Western Pure Land (Amitabha's Buddhist paradise). yes, I would love to go back. I would love to go back , if the timing is right.

moneyIt would be nice to have the manager of Brooks Brothers in New York wear them. Well, let's think about it from now on.