Connecting the world, ThReY produced by REIKO MASUDA.
ThReY is a select store in Daikanyama directed by Reiko Masuda.
Ryoichi Mori, director of the brand "M," has opened the select store "ThReY" in Daikanyama with Reiko Masuda, the mother of the members-only bar "CASBA" in Ebisu, as director. Reiko's own brand "Paradise!", HYSTERIC GLAMOUR, UNDERCOVER, TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist, and stylist Tsuyoshi Noguchi. The store is already creating a buzz as an antenna store that will introduce Tokyo to the world. We spoke with the director, Reiko, to find out more.
Is this your first time directing a clothing store or producing clothing?
That's right. I had told everyone around me that I wanted to do it about 20 years ago. I really love clothes, and I went to Bunka Fashion College, but I wasn't good at sewing, so I went to the advertising department. But at some point I realized that I wanted something but didn't have it, so I started drawing pictorial models of the clothes I wanted. But I didn't make anything out of it, and time passed me by (laughs). Then, Mori of "M" asked me, "Why don't you do caps? He asked me if I wanted to work on caps. I was also thinking that I wanted to make caps like this, so I did. Miyashita-kun (Takahiromiyashita the Soloist.) lent me one rack at an exhibition. For the second exhibition, I made an item incorporating designs I had been working on for the past 20 years. That was "Paradise!
What was the inspiration for your design?
I like movies, and I especially like the works of Russ Meyer, a cult film director. I love the work of Russ Meyer, a cult film director, and I love sexy clothes, but I don't think there are many sexy clothes in Japan. I think that most Japanese girls like girly, flared skirts and the like. Japanese people don't tend to wear clothes with open chests. I like edgy pieces, so I would like to make something like that. This time there are a lot of cut-and-sewns, but I hope to gradually increase the number of items I make.
You directed ThReY, what makes it different from other restaurants?
The "Paradise" caps have words that interest me in English, and I am conscious that when I go abroad, they will become a common language and make people say, "Yay! I am conscious of the fact that when I go abroad, it will become a common language and people will say, "Yay! I always try to make the caps and T-shirts "international," as in "Kasbah," so when people from overseas see the caps and T-shirts, they say "Yeah! Awesome!" when people from overseas see our caps and T-shirts. I hope we can communicate in this way. When people from overseas come to Japan to shop, the items sold are Western, but the interior design is Japanese, and in that sense, we are different from other stores.
So the interiors are shoji screens and tatami mats.
I have always loved Japanese modern interior design, especially the lobby of the Hotel Okura. I had always wanted to try to create that kind of atmosphere in a café someday. It's not the world of Yasujiro Ozu, but I wanted to express the atmosphere of that era in my store.
I sometimes think that caps and T-shirts are communication tools with people. How did you come to make caps?
I do Shibuya radio and always take commemorative photos for announcements, but before I started "Paradise" I always wore caps of my favorite brand. Then I said, "Reiko, you've been wearing caps lately, so why don't you make a cap? I thought that caps would be lighter than clothes, and I wanted to wear one myself. When I was watching a movie at home, the word "Awesome" was used a lot, so I thought it would be nice to have that feeling, so I designed it as a speech balloon. I wanted to use words that are intuitive rather than difficult to understand.
With your connections and trust, you have collaborated with some of the most prestigious brands.
Yes, I am! Thanks to you, I am glad to be alive (laughs). Nobu-chan (Nobuhiko Kitamura, Hysteric Glamour) is one year older than me, but we have known each other for over 30 years. I asked him if he would collaborate with me, and he made me a T-shirt using the store's logo on the door of the Kasbah. I like the Chinese characters, and Nobu seems to like the logo a lot, too, and he said, "I have a lot of ideas.
You like the Asian feel.
Actually, my family has been in the clog business for about 150 years.
Undercover's T-shirts also have a nice punk look.
Jonio (Shun Takahashi) told me to send him a picture of my tattoo, so at first I thought he would simply print a picture of my tattoo on a T-shirt, but I never imagined that he would put the same tattoo as mine in detail on this baby, which I never imagined. It's even right on my leg (laughs). Punkdoll. That's Jonio! I thought.
How did the collaboration T-shirt with "Takahiro Miyashita the Soloist. What kind of content did you produce for the T-shirts in collaboration with "Takahiro Miyashita the Soloist.
SHE IS THE SOLOIST TOO." It should be "HE," but I asked him to change it to "SHE. It was Miyashita-kun who inspired me to hold the "Paradise" exhibition, and yesterday (the day before the opening), he said to me, "Reiko, the store is finally opening tomorrow! I'm looking forward to seeing what the store will look like.
The naked woman in the Bedouin & the Heartbreakers T-shirt must be Reiko... (laughs)!
I sent quite a few photos to Bebetan (Masashi Watanabe), but I wondered why this one? I was like, "Reiko, I like this one! (Laughs.) "Reiko, I like this one!" I said, "Reiko, I like this one!" He wanted to use a photo that would give the impression that this person had a punch, even if he didn't know me. That's how I ended up with this picture (laughs). You can't see my breasts, but it's a picture of me naked in the store (laughs).
What are the contents of the items in collaboration with stylist Tsuyoshi Noguchi?
The picture is of the sign for the Kasbah. At the bottom of the stairs of our (Kasbah), there is a sign that says "Members Only," which I wrote by hand, but it is rare for people to take this picture. I am proud of you, Mr. Tsuyoshi.
With Reiko's direction, I have a feeling that this will be a worldwide store.
There is a stylist who used to work part-time at "Kasbah," but now she lives in Los Angeles and her son is 16 years old. So she brought her son to Japan for summer vacation the other day, and at that time she said, "We got to talking about Reiko-san in L.A.!" I wondered why he was talking about me since I am 16 years old, but when we went to Supreme in L.A., he saw a staff member wearing an "Awesome! That cap is made by a friend of my mother's! I was genuinely happy to hear that. I was genuinely happy to hear that, and I thought, "If this happens, let's make everyone in the world wear one of these caps! I thought to myself, "If that's the way it's going to be, I'm going to make everyone in the world wear it! (Laughs) I thought it was really wonderful that everyone, regardless of nationality or age, could wear the cap.
How do you feel now that your store is open?
I am very excited because this is a new frontier for me, but I am also very happy at the same time. It is not my hope for the future, but I would like people from various countries and ages to come. First of all, I want people to come to see the shop from something like, "That's nice! I would be happy if people come to see the store from something like that, and if it spreads little by little, I hope this store will become a place for communication.
Are there any collaborations you would like to try down the road?
In fact, we are already thinking about the next step. Fashion designers from overseas often come to Japan for market research purposes, and we would be happy if this store could be one of the places they stop by. Loose socks and the Harajuku gothic lolita style are both unique Japanese fashions that do not exist overseas.
A final message!
I hope to continue directing the store and making clothes in the hope that people from all over the world will come to "Three", get excited about the clothes, and communicate with us through the clothes. Please look forward to it!
