This is the first pair of glasses made by the obsessive Mr. Matsushima.
Zoff, which has more than 200 stores in Japan and abroad, is now beginning to make active moves. Under the leadership of Koichi Chida, who took over as creative director last year, the company has embarked on a full-fledged rebranding effort. As part of this rebranding, the company turned to Cantate's Shin Matsushima as a collaboration partner. Since its debut in 2015, "Cantate" has been a brand that has caught the attention of stylists, buyers, and others in the fashion industry with a keen sense of fashion with its clothes made with the utmost attention to material and workmanship. We asked the three designers to share their perspectives on the story of ZOFF eyewear, which they created together with the most up-to-date designers of the moment.
Fascinated by vintage clothing and French vintage, she entered the world of fashion. After graduating from Bunka Fashion College, she worked in production planning and design for a number of brands before launching her own brand, "Cantata" in 2015. His made-in-Japan clothes, which are made with the utmost care and attention to detail from material to sewing, are highly supported, especially by people in the fashion industry.
Chida Koichi
In 1999, he founded the women's brands "furfur" > and "Balcony" , which created a boom. After serving as a director of Mash Group, he established Sisson Inc. in July 2017. . At the same time, he was appointed general creative director of " Zoff.
Kajiwara Kengo
. After working in production, planning, and design for several eyewear manufacturers, he joined Intermestic Inc. in 2013. He has lived in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, and is in charge of planning and designing eyewear for " ZOFF " while making use of his unique connections with factories and fabric makers.
Making glasses of the highest quality at a price point commensurate with the quality .
First of all, please tell us how ZOFF came to collaborate with you and Mr. Matsushima.
TidaAfter I became involved with ZOFF, we came up with a number of ideas for the future direction of the company. One of the ways to do this was through collaboration, but I didn't want to do it in a loveless way, simply saying, "We have a budget of 10 million yen and expect to make a profit of this amount, so we'll do dozens of collaborations a year. I thought that with Shin (Matsushima) I could add a new story to "ZOFF," with an eye toward the next step.
MatsushimaAfter Mr. Chida approached me about ZOFF, I did some research on the company to see where ZOFF stood in the eyeglass industry. I found that they were doing a lot of new things, and when I visited the company, I saw Andy Warhol's paintings on display, and I had a hunch that it would be interesting. Warhol was a man who did new things, such as "popularizing art, which used to be expensive, and bringing it to the masses," and I think this project is similar to that idea.
Tida. We originally met as friends without business, but when I saw his craftsmanship at an exhibition, I immediately became a fan. He does not spend money like a high-brand designer, but rather tries to spend money to create truly good products, and he makes clothes that suit both large and small people. . Even for eyeglasses, fat or skinny people should choose them if they think "this is good. . Maybe the characteristics of his manufacturing are oriented toward glasses.
I think this is the first experience for Mr. Matsushima to design eyeglasses.
MatsushimaI think it is important to have a bird's eye view of the whole process, whether designing clothes or glasses, and I believe that if you can grasp the whole picture, you can design a car. . Therefore, I was not anxious, and I was able to easily decide on the direction to take.
TidaWhen we asked Shin to collaborate with us, it was just before Cantata became famous, and the brand was known only among fashion insiders who were sensitive and eccentric. . That is why I thought that if I could work with someone like him, he would create a new sense of value for ZOFF.
marshlandZOFF also wanted to create a product that would embody Mr. Matsushima's commitment, and to reach the fans of "Cantata" and Mr. Matsushima, as well as the people who understand them.
I have seen the glasses we collaborated on, and the price of 18,000 yen including lenses is astounding for glasses of this quality and material.
MatsushimaTo be honest, I think that glasses sold in the world are expensive. For example, it is common for celluloid glasses to be sold for around 40,000 yen, but I want to sell them at a price that is appropriate for their quality. So this time, I responded, "I would like to do it if it is made in Japan, using celluloid and sunplatinum, and priced at a level that I can sell it as "ZOFF.
marshlandIn the eyeglass industry, there are multiple intermediaries that intervene before the product reaches the consumer, which increases the price. ZOFF" is an SPA company that handles everything from planning and production to sales in-house, so we are able to sell our products at a fair price. Taking the Sun Platinum metal frames made in this collaboration as an example, the price would be about 30,000 to 40,000 yen if the same quality were made at an ordinary eyeglass shop.
TidaGlasses are a strange industry, often selling them under a brand name or touting "Sabae" or "craftsmanship. But it's not really about that. It's about design, quality, and materials. Selling only by brand name is no good if the quality is poor, and I can confidently recommend this product because of the gentleman's good design.
MatsushimaWe first drew the design in actual size, and then fine-tuned it based on the assumption that people with various face shapes would wear the glasses, but I think we ended up with a pair of glasses that would look good on anyone.
New eyewear made from classic materials .
The three celluloid frames in this collection include dead stock celluloid fabric. . Celluloid gives a texture and classic feel that acetate does not have.
I think what is unique about this collaboration is the choice of materials: celluloid and samplatina.
MatsushimaWhen I make clothes, I first consider the weight of the garment when it is hung on a hanger. The weight is the first thing that the customer feels when he or she picks up the item. The same is true of eyeglasses. The first thing that is important to me is the texture of the glasses when they are picked up in the store and the temples are opened. The transparency and hardness of celluloid and the luster and weight of sunplatina can be felt with your own hands, and you can feel the high quality and luxury that acetate and titanium do not have.
. indeed, when you touch it, you can feel the difference in texture.
MatsushimaThe celluloid used in this project was selected from among celluloid found by Mr. Kajiwara. Some of them are from dead stock, and the fabric has been dried for many years, making it dry to the core and giving it a firmness.
The metal frames are made of samplatina. This is a rare material that is rarely used in recent years. It gives off a deep luster.
marshlandWhen Mr. Matsushima said to me, "I want to work with celluloid and sunplatinum," to be honest, I was not sure if I could make it happen. In fact, I had tried to make a product with samplatina before this project, but gave up. Since samplatina is a material that is about two generations old, there are almost no manufacturing facilities left in Japan for samplatina, and it takes a lot of time and effort to polish and braze it.
Celluloid frames with a classic 3-pin clasped 7-piece hinge at the wick. The frame has become an icon of this collaboration.
Seven-piece hinges connect the front and temples. This allows for smooth opening and closing and reduces loosening of the screws.
Matsushima. We also requested that the celluloid and hardware be polished flat. . We also used 7-piece hinges that have been carefully deburred, so the temples are slippery and smooth when opened.
marshland. The beauty of Japanese-made products is that the beauty of their movement lasts for a long time. This time, we commissioned a factory in Sabae, which also produces high-end brands from overseas. The way the front and temples are aligned and the way they look when folded are also very beautifully finished.
Celluloid frames with a raw clear (clear color) that allows the other side to show through. The temples have a core metal for easy adjustment.
MatsushimaI first designed a model with a ball shape somewhere between Boston and Wellington, but I personally would like to make sunglasses with green lenses in the raw clear color model, which is closest to transparency. The color allows you to enjoy the transparency of celluloid the most, and the polished core metal does not spoil the beauty of the model.
marshlandIt is possible to make celluloid frames using the no-core manufacturing method (frames are made without a core), but the thickness of the temples would be doubled with the no-core manufacturing method. However, the thickness of the temples would be about twice as thick with the no-core method, which would not allow the best use of Mr. Matsushima's design, so the temples are intentionally cored.
MatsushimaI designed the glasses by applying them to various pictures of faces, and my goal was to create glasses that would look good on anyone without being too sharp, and that would look classy when worn. I am confident that even if they were mixed in with a thousand other eyeglasses, people would say, "I like these eyeglasses," regardless of the price.
These are the most exquisite glasses, filled with Shin Matsushima's special attention to detail.
The ZOFF × SHIN MATSUSHIMA collaboration model is made in Sabae, Japan, a world-renowned manufacturer, using classic materials that are now rare, and designed by an up-and-coming designer, all at a surprisingly low price. While glasses made of celluloid or samplatina tend to have a nostalgic design, this collaboration aimed to create eyewear that is sophisticated and modern. Let's take a look at the items one by one.
ZT181005_13A1 ¥18,000+TAX
Wellington type with 8mm celluloid on the upper rim and 6mm celluloid on the lower rim. By adding a step on the rim, the transparency of the celluloid is utilized to create a color contrast and a thermont-like look. I heard that it was very difficult to make the step, and it was one that made the factory cry.
ZT181006_40A1 ¥18,000+TAX
The ball shape is between Boston and Wellington, and is designed to suit everyone. The temples are also set at the top of the rim so that the entire face looks sharp when viewed from the side. Matsushima says, "The core metal is also thoroughly polished so that the wearer can enjoy the transparency that only celluloid can provide.
ZT181007_48A1 ¥18,000+TAX
The combination frames use a Boston-type ball shape and metal for the bridge and nose pads. The frames are slimmer than the others, and the gradation of the frames is designed to be easy to wear, especially for those who are not used to wearing glasses".
Two types of metal frames, oval and round, are available. The temple ends, which are thicker to balance the weight, are also made of celluloid. The polishing process takes nearly three times longer than usual, giving the frames an extremely beautiful luster.
