PROFILE
Reshop conceptor. After working as a buyer at the select store "Edifice", he became independent. After working on his own, he launched "Reshop" in 2015. After four and a half years of conception since its opening, he launched his original label .
PROFILE
Designer of MADISONBLUE, she has worked as a stylist since the 1980s, mainly styling for advertisements, magazines, and music. In 2014, she launched her own brand, MADISONBLUE.
Please start by telling us how this collaboration item came to be.
Kaneko:Originally, Mariko was a customer of "reshop" and often came to the store.
Nakayama:I'm a top customer, a bomb customer. When I go into a "reshop" I spend a lot of money, so I try not to go in there....
Kaneko:Lately, they don't come in anymore (laughs). I was joking, but one day I was called into Mariko's office and asked, "I want to talk to you! I was called into Mariko's office, as I recall.
Nakayama:Yeah, about three years ago, I think. The reason was that the selections at "reshop" were just so interesting. I really like men's clothes and uniforms, and I wanted to have Mr. Kaneko take a look at the "Madison Blue" collection and see what he thought.
Kaneko:It was overdone and well made. Both the fabrics and the patterns. It is very rare to find men's clothes made by women to this extent, and I myself was interested in this "menswear by women designers" and had been thinking for three years that we might be able to do something together.
Nakayama:It naturally seemed like it was about time we tried it together, right? I remember thinking that work shirts and the like would resonate with Mr. Kaneko, but he had a great reaction to a women's tuxedo jacket with no upper collar made of crepe material that could be worn like a cardigan.
Kaneko:Yes, I thought it would be interesting to have such an item for men. It was an idea that I did not have in my mind.
When did you actually start working on the project?
Kaneko:For Fall/Winter 2019-20, I am first asking for a special order P-coat. It is a big silhouette P coat for women's items, so not only the size but also the overall balance is, how should I say it, really shocking...
I would like to know what moved Kaneko-san so much.
Nakayama:I would like to know too (laughs).
Kaneko:Nowadays, big silhouettes are common, but even if I were to wear one, it would still be large, so to make a women's version of this was bold. I thought it was bold to make this for women's wear, even though it was big on me. It had a "big" feel that was far beyond what I had imagined. I thought it would be interesting to find a balance where a man could wear a big P-coat that was made for a woman, but not for women. Next, I thought it would be a good idea for me to go a little deeper into the production process and make men's items. I started with a special order of in-line items, and after showing Mariko's A side in "Reshop," I wanted to bring out the B side next.
I see. And now you have created four collaborative items: a jacket, a cardigan, and a shirt and pants that can be worn as a set-up.
Jacket ¥125,000+TAX
Kaneko:Yes, I have a jacket. First of all, the jacket. This is a fairly new style, taking the pattern of a big P coat and incorporating it into a jacket. Cardigans are also made in big sizes.
Nakayama:It was like I gave my opinion on what Mr. Kaneko wanted to create, and we consulted with each other as we went along.
That's interesting. Women make what men want to wear. Kaneko-san, who starts from the history and background of clothes, and Mariko-san, who values sensibility and trends. The mix and balance of the two must have led to the new clothes.
Kaneko:Yes. This time, I was conscious of doing that as much as possible at the same rate. I am very proud of this work, which was created with Mariko's sensibilities in a way that even men could understand.
Shirt ¥36,000+TAX
Pants ¥39,000+TAX
Nakayama:The pants were inspired by the "MacArthur chinos" that MacArthur wore when he visited Japan. I mentioned this to Mr. Kaneko, and he said it was a good idea. They have a very deep crotch, and we first released them maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Although these pants are for ladies, we have many male customers who buy them at our store.
Kaneko:Then, I would look up the history of what MacArthur was wearing (laughs). (Laughs.) I would suggest something based on the history, such as a shirt that would be interesting to wear as a set-up. Then Mariko would not only faithfully reproduce his style as it was, but also trim it down or arrange it in a modern way, and it would be cute.
Cardigan ¥52,000+TAX
The way the discussions are layered is a kind of struggle (laughs).
Kaneko:If we had made it just us, it would have been a chino set-up, but as I recall, Mariko and the rest of the ladies started saying that chambray was cuter! Mariko and the rest of the ladies started saying, "Chambray is prettier! (Laughs.) The result was a lightweight finish, and, you know, it looks great when worn as a set-up by a woman.
Nakayama:Hey, let me ask you here, do you like women who you think are wearing that very nice?
I'm sorry, that was a bit sudden. But I am very curious about that. What do you think, Mr. Kaneko?
Nakayama:When I wear "Madison Blue" clothes, I get compliments from men. But I hear that they don't feel like they are popular. Do you think that a woman who wears clothes that men find attractive is attractive because of her clothes? Or is she a wonderful woman?
Kaneko:.......
I'm increasingly concerned about the fact that you don't give an immediate answer. What do you think, Mr. Kaneko!
Kaneko:I think there are many things to like.... A woman with nice clothes and a nice woman......could be a little different from romantic feelings....
Nakayama:I feel like women have a direct connection with nice men who wear nice clothes and like them and can be lovey-dovey, but men are different.
Kaneko:But I would adore a woman wearing this men's chambray setup with pumps. But I wonder if they would be popular. Oh, and the ladies at our store were also stubborn about not wearing heels...
Nakayama:So you are adding femininity? I'm learning a lot (laughs). But you know, what men think is cool and what women think is cool are different, so I think it's interesting working together. I feel like my own personality remains, but ideas that I don't have are expanding, and the elation I feel when it's done is very special.
I would love to see the two of you make "popular clothes" together this time. I don't think we would get along (laughs). Lastly, the fashion industry is said to be in a period of transition, but what is your outlook for the future?
Nakayama:I want to communicate with people through my clothes, as I have since I started making clothes. I have a strong desire to meet the people who buy Madison Blue. I get so much energy from customers. I then use that energy to make clothes again. That is what I will do honestly.
Kaneko:I feel the same way. For the past year or so, I have been traveling around Japan for pop-ups and events, and I also do social networking, but now that I am here, I think it is very important to convey the actual products in my own voice, in a realistic way. This project couldn't have been done over the phone or by e-mail; it was born out of a conversation with Mariko. Direct connections between people and customer service will never disappear and will remain, so I want to value it more and more.
