The strong individuality of the 417 edifice that accurately captures the atmosphere of the moment.
The lineup includes a wide variety of brands from Japan and abroad, original products that accurately reflect the atmosphere of the times, and even kicks that will make even the most seasoned connoisseur groan.417 ÉDIFICEThe amount of information packed in the "Mere Old Man" is not a mere trifle. The masterpieces and curiosities that appear as one moves through the store make us feel as if we are on a treasure hunt. Why does "417 Edifice" have such a strong individuality and attract the fashionable among the many sophisticated boutiques in the area? What is the backbone of this up-and-coming store, as seen in its origins and current trends?
After working as a sales representative at "EDIFICE" for 6 years and "417 EDIFICE" for 1 year, he moved to his current position. His hobbies include mountain climbing, skating, and rock climbing, and he has his own information route.
Seiya Abe (417 ÉDIFICE / PULP Press )
Joined the company in 2016; worked as a sales associate at 417 EDIFICE for 1.5 years and at PULP for 1 year before becoming press for both brands. He is the youngest men's press for BAYCREW'S.
Quickly, please tell us again how and why "417 Edifice" was started.
YamaguchiIt started out as a diffusion line of Edifice. At first, it was not a store, but a category within Edifice. It started as that, but it was so well received by customers that they asked if we could expand it further, and we started talking about creating the first store. So we started to talk about establishing the first store. That was in 2009. So next September will mark 10 years.
So it wasn't originally an independent store?
YamaguchiYes, I had not even joined the company at that time. I had not even joined the company at that time, but the idea was to create a line called "417" and develop interesting items at entry-level prices.
So 417 did not start out as a select store?
YamaguchiAt first, it was only originals. Shirts, chinos, and other standard items. They had three kinds of chinos, and the very first lineup of shirts was oxford, broadcloth, and denim. That's very stoic (laughs).
I know it's a little late, but what is the "417" in the store name?
YamaguchiThe address of the first 417 Edifice store in Shinjuku is 4-1-7 Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. 4, 1, and 7, hence the "417.
It's a very simple name (laughs).
YamaguchiThat's right (laughs). When I was creating the concept for the store, I had the image of "in the city" as a keyword, so I wanted to show both the store and the address anyway.
So the Shinjuku store was your first. Today we are talking at the Shibuya store, which was recently renovated, wasn't it?
section (of an orange, etc.)Yes, the biggest change was the expansion of the floor space. There used to be a wall around where Yamaguchi and I are sitting now. This area where Yamaguchi and I are now sitting used to be a backyard stockroom. We expanded that space into a storefront.
Huh? Where did the backyard go?
section (of an orange, etc.)Until then, there was a women's brand called SLOBE IENA, but when it was moved to a new location, the 417 store was expanded. That's why we have a newly built backyard (laughs).
YamaguchiThe expanded space has allowed us to carry a wider variety of products, and we have also added a new line featuring sneakers called "FIC," which was not available at the Shibuya store.
section (of an orange, etc.)In a pop-up space near the entrance, we will be developing an initiative with the famous vintage clothing store Damaged Dawn in the future. One of the reasons we dared to set up the FIC corner near the entrance was that we hoped it would provide an opportunity for people walking by to enter the store.
I see. Now tell us about the brands and items you select.
YamaguchiThere are so many interesting brands that it is difficult to talk about them all, but as a stockist, I am personally most attached to Needles, Engineered Garments, and the Nepenthes brand. The previous buyer and I have always talked about how good they are. Recently, we also carry AIE.
This knitwear from Needles has been selected since the store's early days. This leopard-print mohair knit is full of character.
It's an eye-catching brand, even when hanging on a rack.
YamaguchiThat's right. We have been selling [crepuscular] knitwear for seven or eight years, and it is very popular.
This cardigan is a special order for Crepuscule this season. The standard deer knit cardigan is available in three exclusive colors.
YamaguchiRecently, "Dairiku" is also popular. It started becoming a hot topic in the Kansai region around the summer of this year, and I was interested in it as well. I was curious about it, too, and this is why we started carrying it this season.
The up-and-coming Dailik coveralls are made of black denim. They exude the mood of authentic workwear, but with a modern twist.
The designer is also very young, and is one of the most promising young designers in the industry. I actually visited the store, and you have quite a few special-order items among the brands you select.
section (of an orange, etc.)There are a lot of them. Starting this fall/winter, Yamaguchi has been planning almost all of the special order projects, and I think the strength of "417 EDIFICE" is its wide range of variations.
YamaguchiI did my best (laughs).
section (of an orange, etc.)We even make catalogs only for special orders.
What are some of the typical special orders for this season?
section (of an orange, etc.)In addition to the ones I just mentioned, there are Gramici, Champion, Dickies, Lee, Wild Things, Umbro, Ortega, Pendleton, Nanga, Jerry, and many more (laughs).
YamaguchiWe had a pop-up at [Dailik], and we made a special order of T-shirts for them.
section (of an orange, etc.)The special-order long T-shirt sold out on the first day of the event. It was the hardest time of the season because of the lineup (laughs), but I was very happy.
I love the fact that "417 Edifice" is featuring edgy brands and that highly sensitive people are responding to it.
YamaguchiI am grateful for that.
By the way, which brands have you been dealing with in Select for a particularly long time?
YamaguchiThe North Face and Champion are the longest ones. I was planning to make the North Face line permanent, but things are heating up like this. They are gone as soon as they arrive, and we can't even set up a permanent collection at all (laughs). (Laughs.) We are grateful for that, though.
In the sense that you made your selections before that happened, you had foresight, didn't you?
YamaguchiI like the outdoors and go up to the mountains, but when I go up, I always wear North. I've always worn North.
Frankly, I'm surprised at the breadth of the lineup and how much more worth digging into than I had expected.
Yamaguchi417 EDIFICE" is a group of people who originally came from "EDIFICE" who are particularly fond of clothes, so we are doing a lot of interesting things, but we are really good at thinking and making clothes, and we don't have many people who can communicate our ideas to the outside world (laughs).
So Mr. Abe became a full-time press person (laughs).
section (of an orange, etc.)Yes, it is.
YamaguchiNow that Abe is in the press, it is easier for us to prepare stories to send out. For the last Spring/Summer 2018, we did a cactus pop-up event with "THE FASCINATED" in Shizuoka. We also made T-shirts with cactus graphics on them, which were very well received. We would like to continue to hold such fresh events in the future.
section (of an orange, etc.)The "Damaged Dawn" project that will begin this month is part of that. New clothes and used clothes are near and far from the same thing.
Interesting. I'm getting a full picture of the store, but I feel like I could get more jokes in there. 417 would make people think the store is too serious ( lol ).
section (of an orange, etc.)No, it's rather ...... (laughs).
YamaguchiI'm serious ( lol ).
On the contrary, have there been any projects that have been rejected? Or projects that you would like to try that you haven't told anyone about?
YamaguchiAs for not giving up, let's say I love Nana Komatsu, so I want to make a photo T.
...That's certainly interesting (laughs).
YamaguchiNana Komatsu's photo T is good! I think there are many hurdles though (laughs).
I would honestly like it if it were to happen.
YamaguchiRight? I think the good thing about "417 Edifice" is that we can have fun while doing experimental projects like this.
section (of an orange, etc.)It came together well (laughs).
