A new form of big yank expressed by nine experts in the field. CASE1_Atsushi Momiyama ("BARBER BOYS" barber, hair and makeup artist)
The second collection of "The Third Edition" by , which started in the spring/summer of 2016, has been released. This is a collection in which "BIG YANK," which reissued under its actual name in 2011, collaborated with creators from various genres, including not only clothing designers but also musicians, barbers, and vintage clothing store owners, among others. The number of participants in the previous exhibition was five, but this time the number has been scaled up to nine. The products that each of the designers has created, which they feel bring out the charm of "Big Yank," are all products that cannot be found in in-line workwear. Let us analyze the whole picture through interviews with the participating creators.
For our first installment, we are honored to introduce Atsushi Momiyama, who runs BARBER BOYS in Daikanyama, as well as working as a hair and makeup artist for advertisements and fashion magazines. Momiyama is a big name in the fashion industry, and his proposal for "The Third Edition" was an indigo-dyed store coat. The coat was made with his passion as a barber.
Establishing a new form of hair and makeup with elements of barbershop
You have been active as a hair and make-up artist for a long time, but what made you start Barber?
fir mountain: At the root of this is the memory of the barbershop my mother ran in my parents' home. However, when I was in my 20s, I was not thinking about a future as a barber, and when I moved to Tokyo in the mid-1980s, I was attending beauty school. Looking back, I guess there was a bit of a backlash against me for going down the same path as if I were my mother.
A few months after I moved to Tokyo, I went to a barbershop produced by Takeo Kikuchi called "Barber" and was shocked. The building had a "Bohemia" bar in the basement, a clothing store and tailor on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the barbershop on the 3rd floor. The interior and the atmosphere of the customers were perfect. Strangely enough, when I went to "Barber," the job my mother was doing became clear to me. The feel of the store was completely different, though. Gradually, the "repulsion" changed into a "confident dream.
-It is not unusual to find a combination of clothing stores, barbershops, and restaurants these days, but there was a building with such a concept 30 years ago. It is amazing.
fir mountainI think it's a good idea. There was jazz music playing in the restaurant, and the staff was crisp in their suits. They had a single sense of beauty and were really cool. While I wondered what it would take to own a store like this, after graduating from beauty school, I started working in a beauty salon, in order, etc. (laughs). Eventually, through a customer at that store, I gradually started working in hair and makeup.
- That said, you don't just suddenly become hair and makeup and start getting work, do you?
fir mountainAt that time, I was working at a hair salon by day and DJing at night. It was a big deal when I got a job doing hair and makeup for musicians from an art director and stylist I met while DJing. Then, while continuing to do hair and makeup, I still had memories of my parents' barbershop and a longing for a "barber" somewhere in me. So I took a leap of faith, and while doing hair and makeup, I went to barber school to get certified, and in 2008, I opened a barbershop under the name "Barber 410," which was a completely appointment-only barbershop. As "410" began to take off, I relocated and opened the current "BARBER BOYS" in Daikanyama in 2013.
A work coat filled with the unique attention to detail of a barber
BIG YANK × Momiyama Atsushi（BARBER BOYS） WORK COAT ¥33,000＋TAX
-The store coat made by "Big Yank" was designed for you to wear when you work at Barber's, right?
fir mountainThe concept of this new collection is to make a work coat that can be worn in everyday life. The details and design have a moderate workwear taste, and the omission of the koba stitching around the collar makes it easy to wear as a fashion item. The fabric is indigo sheeting. The more it is worn as workwear, the more it fades and changes with age, which is one of the charms of this coat. Hopefully, this garment will become a new work wear that is useful for men who work with their hands, such as barbers, shoemakers, cooks, and tailors in the same industry. It is made a little larger in size, so it can be worn over a suit.
The sleeves have slits for easy arm rolling. Useful when working or when it gets hot.
Slant pockets without bags are provided on both sides for direct access to the pants pockets
-I see. Is there anything else you were particular about as work clothes?
fir mountainThe sleeves are very comfortable: easy to roll up the arms is a must. I was impressed by the well-thought-out detail of the cuffs, which can be widened by simply unbuttoning one button. We also wanted the garment to be worn by our peers, so we eliminated the front pockets, where fine hair can easily get in. Instead, we placed slant pockets with no pouch on the side for easy access to the pants pockets, and kept the chest pocket for daily use.
The name "BARBER" is written in the same color stitching on the breast pocket. The body fades with washing, and the stitches become more visible.
-Well thought out. I also like the embroidery in the same color on the chest.
fir mountainThe "BARBER" logo will gradually emerge as the indigo fades with wear. The more you wear it, the more you will feel as if the clothes become more familiar to you.
Atsushi Momiyama
Born in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, he began his career as a hair and makeup artist in the late 1980s. He has worked in a wide range of genres from advertising to fashion magazines, actors, and musicians. In 2015, he launched "Chet," a hair care brand exclusively for men.
