When you two are buying, do you have a strong sense of buying what you like? I guess I feel like I'm trying to offer something different from what other people are offering.
tail. At the time, it was like if you bought something that no one had ever seen before, you won. Then my reputation rose, and people said, "Oh my God, that's a great brand! This brand is great! This brand is great! . When I think about it now, there were quite a few brands that became popular later on.
money. but I usually miss the best time of the year (laughs). (Laughs): It's too early.
So you pick the fruit while it's still green.
tail: Yes, they are azure , but I can't wait until they are ripe (laughs).
moneyFrom your point of view, what do you think of the current "reshop"? Has it changed that much?
tailI was wondering if you have changed your mindset from the past, until I heard you talk about it today. I thought, "I've changed my mindset," but I guess my feelings haven't changed much (laughs). (Laughs.) In fact, I think it is getting worse because there is no one to stop me.
money. Maybe so. Also, I was thinking about something else the other day when I was on a business trip. I was thinking that I was going around the world, looking at things, and buying interesting things on behalf of my customers. I don't want to make a proposal as a "reshop," but rather, "I found this interesting thing, what do you think? I just found this interesting thing.
tailI understand that very well. Kaneko-san is a superhuman "buyer" in every sense of the word. He buys all the interesting things in front of him, to the point of seeming mechanical. It is as if there is nothing interesting left after his walk. That's why I'm a little scared of him.
money: I think I might know a little bit about that myself.
tail. it's amazing how genuine it is.
So you feel better when you say, "I found something interesting" than when you say, "I found something interesting"?
money: Yes . That makes me much happier.
That's great (laughs). (laughs).
money. But of course, when I buy something, I think about the story to deliver it to the customer. But of course, I think about the story to deliver it to the customer when I am buying something. I try to think of things like, "Even if people don't understand the item when they see it alone, they might understand it if it were presented in this way," and I try to think about it as quickly as possible before making a purchase.
tailI think recently, there are not many stores that focus on buyers, are there? They are the kind of stores where people who are interested in rare items bought by so-called "specialty buyers" gather. Rather than that, I think there are more stores that focus on what kind of theme and what they sell. . covering all aspects of life, and having good taste .
Yes, that's true.
tailIn the provinces, there are stores run by cool old men, but there are not many stores of a certain scale. In this respect, "Reshop" is very interesting because the buyer, Mr. Kaneko, is the main owner. There are probably many gourmands who don't like to eat, so I am sure there are many more people who like "Reshop. Also, this is completely my interpretation, but you buy all kinds of sharp things. Do you think secondhand clothes are the way to keep them from being too sharp?
moneyI think that's part of it. The same is true of secondhand clothing, as well as "actual" items that we usually pay money for at the places we buy them. I don't mean to say that I neutralize such items, but I can say that I make even sharp items more gentle. I think I try to find a balance between addition and subtraction.
tailToday, I am wearing a pair of pants called "HED MAYNER" that I bought at "Reshop" in Aoyama. If I wore white shoes on my feet and a nice top, it would be very Aoyama-like, but I think that would be a bit strong. . Therefore, I wear a T-shirt that I bought at a local lobster shop when I went on a trip. I think I learned this kind of balance from Mr. Kaneko.
money. that's a very ideal way of explaining what I'm doing (laughs).
tail. I think that what you learn on your own is like choosing the ingredients for a dish. . Using a lot of tasty ingredients does not necessarily mean that you will be able to produce tasty food, does it?
Yes, that's right. It is not enough to use expensive ingredients.
tailIt's like, "It tastes better if you let it sit overnight," or "It's nothing special, but it tastes the best if you use this soy sauce from a long-established shop. I don't cook, but that kind of feeling is similar to mine. Is that what you mean when you say that the concept of "Leshop" is "a store for fashionable men who enjoy dressing down with a playful spirit"?
money: I think that's exactly what I'm talking about.
tail. as I thought. I hadn't heard it properly, but I thought so.
moneyI don't have to say much, but the customer feels it for himself and buys it. So, Ozaki-kun is really my ideal customer (laughs).
tailThe "reshop" does not tell the buyer what they want the clothes to look like. There is no "what kind of clothes do you want them to wear? The materials are sold here, so they just ask you to cook your life with them. . But in the meantime, they don't just sell a variety of things at random. It is not just a supermarket, but a carefully selected food store. . When you go to Italy, for example, there are select food stores, aren't there? The owner recommends the best tomato sauce, and it's really good.
It is true that there is no uniformity at "reshop" in a good sense. Every time I go there, the atmosphere is different, and there is no such thing as a "certain type" of shop.
moneyAs Ozaki just said, we do not like to make suggestions as much as possible. That was my original approach. That is why we started with a style in which we did not even have a body (with a coordinated outfit). Now, for various reasons, we do. Also, at first, we didn't serve customers at all.
tail. is an ogre.
money. I feel that being too helpful lowers the value of things. On an e-commerce site, you can buy clothes right away, and you can learn everything about the product. I wanted to do the opposite of that, so I decided to create this type of store. I wanted to make it possible for people to enjoy each and every one of these experiences by taking the time to go to the store and actually holding the product in their hands. I wondered to what extent I could be unkind, and how I could do it in a way that would not be offensive or obnoxious.
So it was a challenge for you.
money: So, in the first store (moved to the current location on September 18, 2015), I showed all the stock. I don't hide anything. I don't serve customers, but if they ask, I will answer anything they want. That's the kind of store I was aiming for.
I see.
money. However, in order to continue that style of business, the products had to be stronger, and I have a lot of regrets about the first store.
tailI think the first store may have been like that, but recently you have been reaching out to a lot of people through Instagram and your blog, and more and more "clothes lovers" are coming to the store. What I personally believe is that there are people who are fashionable and who like fashion. I think it is important to continue to believe in that.
money. We are still in the process of development, you know. I think it will be a matter of trial and error for the next two to three years. I have realized many things since I have been allowed to write a blog for HOUYHNHNM. For example, I realized that a product that cannot be conveyed unless it is explained at length in a blog would not sell well in the e-commerce market. On the other hand, a product that can be conveyed in two or three words cannot be written about in an interesting way on a blog, and will probably sell quickly in the e-commerce market.
. reading Mr. Kaneko's blog makes me want to go to the store and see the actual products anyway. Well, this has been a long story, but I would like to end the first half now. Mr. Ozaki, do you have any last questions?
tail. Yes, that's right. What has been the most interesting business trip, place, or event?
money. it was a great thrill to go to Maafa.
tailMAHWA: Marfa! I see .
money. One of the things I wanted to do with "reshop" was to do with buying at a time when there was no information at all, when the select store format was launched decades ago.
In a sense, it's a bit haphazard.
money. In that sense, I was finally able to do the kind of buying I had envisioned at Marfa. Driving around in my car, I would stop at a deserted western shop, go in, and if I found something, I would buy it.
tail. the Maafa has all the best parts, doesn't it? The roads, the people, the buildings . I went there myself, and it has had a considerable influence on what I'm working on now.
money. the place you stayed at was pretty nice, too.
tail: I was introduced in the magazine "Huinam Unplugged" before,El Cosmico.It is.
Yes, yes.
money. a place like that, we have to do shipping and stuff like that.
Indeed (laughs).
moneyI had no idea which shipping company I should ask to deliver the package to Japan. (Laughs) . In the end, it was all right.
tailAbout 30 years ago, people would just buy things as they found them. But nowadays, we negotiate with stores and ask them to make this item in this fabric. We are doing the same thing we did in the past, but we are able to create something that can only be done now, and that is what buying is today.
Kaneko's Memories. Part 3
money. as I do today, but it's from the Tuareg tribe. Ozaki, you bought one too, didn't you?
tail. but it's broken now.
money. I collect a lot of products, not personal belongings, but merchandise.
tail. Oh, that's cool.
money. I collect a little bit of local name stuff. It's like Ozaki's souvenir T. . And now I'm into running, so I buy things like this in Brooklyn. I would like to do a variety of souvenirs like this in my store.
money. After I quit BAYCREW'S, I was working on a brand called "EveryWare.
tailI was at the "Filmerange" at the time.
money: Yes . . so I consulted Mr. Ozaki when I made the T-shirt. . This is the T-shirt.
tail. you used to make the bags at "bagjack", didn't you? I miss it.
money. I still have a brand new one. Bicycles and fashion were the concept behind "Everywhere," and even the pockets on the T-shirts are based on the hexagonal screws on bicycles.
