Koji Udo (hereinafter referred to as "Udo")In 2006, the year after we launched our brand, we opened a store in Daikanyama. More than ten years have passed since then. As the next step, we closed the store in February of last year. I thought again about where would be the best place to set up a store. After much contemplation, I came to the conclusion that Daikanyama was the place. I used to work in Harajuku, and the sense of time flowing slowly and leisurely made me feel at ease. I knew I did not want to leave this town.

workingIt has an atelier attached to it, so it is a lab. We wanted to create a store where we could see the makers of the products, like an open kitchen. In the midst of the fast fashion boom, I thought that was what we should do. However, it was difficult to find a place that met our needs. In the end, it took us almost a year to find the right place. It took a long time, but I like the tasteful exterior.

The store was designed to be clean and elegant, just like the brand concept, and to make the most of the original materials. The only partition we created was in the middle of the room.

The store is on the right as you enter, and the atelier is on the left. The dimensions of the atelier can be seen through the glass door. I haven't received it yet, but I plan to place a worktable in front of the glass door, where I will cut patterns and assemble toile.

I had intended to use glass for all the partitions, but the staff objected strongly (laughs). (Laughs). A clothing store is a place where scraps of fabric and materials are scattered about. But that chaotic space is also good.

I will be on the sales floor this weekend. Many domestic brands have young staff. I and another staff member in his 40s will be serving customers, so you can enjoy the charms of a middle-aged man (laughs).

workingThe first "R" is released. This is the flagship store, so all new products will come from here.

Another is remaking. I have a lot of old clothes that I have bought over the years, and that is exactly what I have rotten. I thought it would be a waste to let them lie around as mere materials.

workingYes, I do. There is an experienced craftsman at a denim factory that I have known for a long time who can do circular stitches, and I thought it would be interesting if I entrusted him to make a piece for me. We gave him 50 denim pieces and he made only about 10 pieces, so it was not very economical (laugh). (Laughs.) But it turned out to be very good.

The third is revive. It means "revive. We asked our favorite fabrication shop to dye the unsold items. This time, the color was black.

workingThe warmth of the hand should be implied beyond the sustainable. This is as important as the store's design. Until now, I had the impression that craftspeople were subcontractors or blacks. Their talent is amazing, and because of them, we are able to create without any worries. I wanted to put the spotlight on them.

We want people to be free to have fun with it, so we have set no limits on quantity, delivery time, or price. We hope our customers will resonate with the groove.

Lastly, respect. Each season, "FACTOTUM" creates a collection with a specific theme. We visit a city that strikes a chord with us at the time, and incorporate the culture we see and feel there. This method, which has not changed since the company's founding, is reflected in our VMD (Visual Merchandising).

This season's theme is "The Emergency Trap." (Stanley) It is taken from the Japanese title of Kubrick's film KILLER'S KISS. This is about his second film. It was a low-budget film, and he wrote, produced, shot, and edited it, playing five roles. KILLER'S
KISS" is truly a film noir, and I was greatly influenced by that world, but above all, I was numb to Kubrick's independent stance.

workingThanks to you, it has been 15 years. It has been 15 years since I realized it, and we have come this far through the accumulation of season after season. Every season, I have worked with the desire to grow, even if only a little.

This is true even when it comes to presentation. When we first started, we made a visual book. We worked with top artists and created the book thoroughly. Next was the Tokyo Collection. The next was the Tokyo Collection, and the next was exhibiting overseas. Step by step, our style has changed.

workingMusic, film, literature, and art are as essential to me as clothing. I travel around to the places where they were born. Perhaps it was Haruki Murakami, whom I read when I was a student, that sparked my interest in American literature. From there, I became interested in American literature, and my interests expanded in a sweet-potato fashion.

workingIn a word, we want them to remain as a piece of clothing in your wardrobe. Denim is our main item because it is a real clothes item. You don't have to worry about sitting on the ground, and the beautiful indigo blue color allows you to go to formal occasions. There is no item more suited to today's lifestyle.

Vintage is an object of admiration, and I have no desire to surpass it, but it can be updated with today's technology and sensibility.

The skinny jeans woven with stretch material that we perfected in our first collection were born from this stance. We have also been working on vintage processing from early on. The characteristic of this process is that both whiskers and blasts are flat and clean.

However, we do not intend to produce function-oriented denim like the major companies do. We want to pursue denim that is beautiful.

workingThe current lineup includes skinny, straight, tapered, and shoe cut. We take our time until we are satisfied with the finished product, but that is not the end of the process. Minor changes are constantly made, and we are always looking for better stitching, rivets, and color schemes.

workingIt has been 15 years since we launched the brand. Our staff has grown up. If there is a staff member who wants to move on to the next stage, I am willing to back him or her up. SERGE de blue is a brand specializing in women's denim, created by Mitsuhiro Mori, who was in charge of denim with me. He started the brand within the company and then went independent. ICHIFU (1/F) also debuted this spring. Designer Kazuhisa Terao is also a DJ, and his designs are inspired by the club scene.

If a loose and comfortable relationship can be continued in this way, nothing would make me happier.

Factotum" is Latin for "live on your own. I borrowed the title from a book written by the American author Charles Bukowski. I named it after the beatnik way of life of the characters in the book, and the excitement I felt at the time has not faded.