HOUYHNHNM

In the first part of this interview, you talked a lot about your relationship and the store "Reshop. In the second part, please tell us about the business trip you took together this summer.

money. Before I went on my business trip, I was thinking that I would give Ozaki some money and ask him to buy things freely and then sell them at "reshop. In fact, that did not happen.

So, did you go to flea markets together?

tailYes, I think so.

What would you say is the location of the place?

tail. is Brimfield. The nearest city is Boston , or Albany, the capital of New York State. We have a flea market there several times a year. It's interesting, because there's nothing else in the area.

L'ÉCHOPPEさん(@lechoppe.jp)が投稿した写真 – 2016 Jul 14 7:20 AM PDT

I've heard of the Brimfield Antique Market.

tailI was the one who invited Mr. Kaneko, saying, "Let's go. I thought that if Mr. Kaneko heard that he could buy something, he would come (laughs).

money: Yes, yes, yes.

tailI didn't go there for the clothes either, but to buy sundries for the exhibition at Young & Olsen The Dry Goods Store. But I was able to buy some clothes as well.

money. yes, I think so.

Mr. Kaneko, you always go your own route, but how was your buying experience this summer? What was your buying experience like this summer?

money: Yes, I did. My original plan was to go only to the U.S., but my company suggested that I should go to Europe as well.

tail. How did you manage to go through this business trip? Probably, it is the most outlandish among Japanese buyers (laughs).

money: Well, yes. . but there was a request to go to South America, too.

tailOh, is that so?

money: Yes, yes, yes.

tail. Then you were chosen as the only one who could go to South America, weren't you? I heard it was a dangerous place, so I thought maybe you could go, Kaneko-san. (laughs).

money: The company also considers new business development to be important, and they are encouraging my purchases.

. It's quite a wide area when it comes to the U.S., Europe, and South America, isn't it?

money. yes, that's right. As for the road trip, I went to Paris first, and from there to Barcelona. Then I went back to Paris, and from there to Buenos Aires, Argentina. From there, I went to Austin, Texas, and then to New York City, where I met up with Ozaki and went to Brimfield, which I mentioned earlier. Then I went back to New York, and so on. In total, 23 days. Two to three days in each city. Four days at the most.

. It's been pretty hectic, hasn't it?

money: Well, but what keeps me busy is the preparation before I go. Once there, all I have to do is buy. Of course, the main part of this summer's business trip was to place orders for the 17SS, but about 80% of my time was spent on "physical stocking," which means buying items so that I can take them to the store immediately after purchase.

tail: (laughs).

moneyWe call what you buy on the spot with money and a credit card "genchi-genbutsu" (the actual thing).

tail. This is a tradition and characteristic of BAYCREW'S. I don't think there are many other companies that do this. I don't think there are many other companies that do this.

money. If you have a buying budget of 10, in the case of "reshop," you would spend about 6, leaving about 4 for the rest. . With other brands, the brands to be purchased are well-defined, so we tend to spend 90% or more before the season. With other brands, we have a clear idea of what we need to do, so we often spend more than 90% of the budget before the season. . That is why we changed this system when we became "Reshop.

tailI see.

money. In Paris, I visited only exhibitions and dealers of secondhand clothes. I bought some folk art from Bolivia and other places, and bags made of grass. I also bought a lot of Kenyan items selected by French people. That was more interesting than buying brands in Paris.

I saw the brand's exhibition, but did you see it?

money: Yes, I did. But I did buy some new brands. Also, after Paris, I went to Barcelona, which was great. Barcelona is a land of fashion wasteland, but everyone wants to go there so they give it a shot, but they often end up not continuing because they can't find a job. This time I went because I wanted to do espadrilles, but I found about five other brands when I was researching.

tail: Heh.

moneyI had business meetings with people who rarely attend trade shows. I thought I could express the "Barcelona of today" from "Reshop" because some of the items were ready to be introduced to the stores. There were espadrilles that have been around for a long time, as well as some brands that were more of a "sideways" type of brand. There is also an interesting person who only makes drawstring leather bags, and a woman who used to work at "Maison Margiela" came back to Barcelona and made something like nautical pants. It's not that there was a line that was set aside, but it was interesting to see what people who had retreated for a while were making.

On the other hand, what was it like in South America?

money: Buenos Aires, Argentina, is where I wanted something for a gaucho (a cowboy living in South America, a mixed-race inhabitant of indigenous and Spanish descent) to wear, and that's basically what I went there to buy. . there was a gaucho sanctuary a couple of hours away from the center of town. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect there, but I figured if I went anyway, what the heck.

It's rather spur-of-the-moment (laughs).

money: Yes, that's right. I went there the day I arrived and first visited a gaucho museum and learned about its history. . From there, I went to the city and saw and bought various things. . Not only the clothes, but also the gaucho accessories were interesting. I thought it would be good to match them with current clothes. I also liked the rugs from North Argentina and other things that had nothing to do with gauchos. . The colors are good, and they look a bit native. . In general, I found things that you don't see very often in Japan.

. That part of the story is your sole domain, Mr. Kaneko.

moneyThere were a lot of stores in the fashion area called SOHO, but nothing at all. From there, I flew to Austin, Texas, the city I was most looking forward to visiting this time. Unlike Marfa, which is in the same state, Austin was a very modern city, and as I had expected, it was full of young artists and people who were making things.

. It seems that few people in Japan are paying attention to Austin.

money: Maybe so. There is an artist in each room of the building, which is like a housing complex, and a business card is attached to the door. They say something like, "I'm doing something. If you are interested in someone, you knock on the door and he or she will come out from inside.

tail. it's like a joint exhibition.

money. 365 days a year, it's a joint exhibition. Because the area is so small, everyone is connected, and even if you couldn't get in touch with someone, someone else would make a connection like, "What? Even if you couldn't get in touch with them, someone else would make a connection, like, "Oh, I'm a friend. There must be a rather solid community. There was a good crowd of cool people there. I met quite a few interesting artists. There was a guy who was making patches by himself, one by one, with a sewing machine.

This time, I was able to dig into the people who design the T-shirts for "El Cosmico," where I stayed before in Marfa, and the place where they print the T-shirts. I was able to find out that some of the things I was interested in in Marfa actually originated in Austin, and I feel like I am gradually getting a fuller picture of Texas.

. It's amazing, isn't it?

money. Besides the work, it was interesting to learn about the connections between these backgrounds. . I also really enjoyed the women's vintage clothing. I bought one corner of vintage Hermes and Chanel clothes, which are completely women's clothes, selected by Texas people, but chosen with a Texas taste. It's hard to explain in words, but there was a fusion of "Polo Country" and "Chanel," or a Gucci bandana mixed with old Mexican stuff. It was interesting to mix things up in a messy way. I didn't plan to do that at all (laughs). (laughs). I thought "reshop" was a place where you could do that kind of thing.

I guess it is Kaneko-san's way of buying, not to be too definitive. You leave some room for roominess.

money: Yes, it is. No matter what is happening, it is like that. I'm kind of prepared for it.

tail. I remember once following a strange sneaker dealer in Berlin. . I saw a pile of old Adidas sneakers on the corner.

money: Oh yeah . Earlier, you asked me, "What's the most memorable buying you've ever done?" I wasn't sure if I should say that or not. That business trip was memorable, too. It was when no one had been to Berlin yet.

tail. It wasn't as prosperous as it is now. . There was only one interesting select store at last.

money. there was a lot of construction in the city, too.

tailThe Berlin Wall still retains the atmosphere of that time. As soon as we went to the east side, the atmosphere was completely different. So, I was taken to the east side (laughs).

It's very nerve-wracking.

tail. I was extremely anxious before I went to the site, but I was glad I did. I think this experience made you the way you are now, Mr. Kaneko. (Laughs)

money. I guess that's true. . it's the repetition of these things that has brought us to the state we are in now, isn't it?

So you can't get enough of the pounding feeling?

money: Yes . . I am happy that I am still allowed to do that.

tail: I've said it many times, but Kaneko-san is a creature called a buyer. He feeds on it.

. This time, you were with us not only in Brimfield, but also in New York City for a bit.

money: Yes . We met up in New York, had dinner, went for a run, etc. . We went to the showroom and did some work , too.

tail: Afterwards, we went to buy the actual product together for the first time in a very long time.

money. So this time, I thought, there are interesting things that no one notices, even at big exhibitions. You don't have to go all the way to some strange place ,,

So you think you can find bargains.

money. Maybe I'm looking at it very differently than everyone else. It's just not realistic, that's for sure. So even if we go to the same place together, what we end up putting on (ordering) is completely different.

tail. When I saw Mr. Kaneko, I thought that everyone was buying correctly. At overseas joint exhibitions, there are many booths that say, "You can buy this kind of thing in Japan, too.

money. yes, I think so.

tailBut there were a few that I was like, "What the heck is this? But there were also a few "What's this? What is this? ." You are either a person who buys them or not.

L'ÉCHOPPEさん(@lechoppe.jp)が投稿した写真 – Jul 13, 2016 7:26 AM PDT

money. this side gore boot that I put on my instagram. This was at the "Capsule" (joint exhibition), but no one was looking at 100%. I passed by it once, and even when I saw it the second time around, I was a little hesitant. . When I finally went inside to take a look, I was pleasantly surprised. They started out as an Australian cowboy boot maker, and then they started making side gores and so on. I heard that they are very famous in their home country, but they haven't made it to Japan yet. If you listen closely, you will find out that LVMH has recently acquired the company, and it is a place with a pretty decent quality. It was interesting to hear about such things that came up when I did a little digging, and I was able to draw a story in my mind that it might be possible in Japan, so I bought it.

L'ÉCHOPPEさん(@lechoppe.jp)が投稿した写真 – Jan 20, 2016 8:59 PM PST

tail.": "Orlando scones," for example, are a good example of this.

money. and also bags like this one. They are really cool, but I can see why no one else is doing them. But they are definitely stimulating. It may not sell well, but I picked it up because I felt it so much.

L'ÉCHOPPEさん(@lechoppe.jp)が投稿した写真 – Jul 13, 2016 3:38 PM PDT

tail: These are the kind of things that I, as an ogre customer, buy.

I see (laughs).

money. I've been to many places, but no matter where I went in the world, I was able to buy something.

tailI am a buyer myself, and I am in a position to see many buyers. I am also a buyer, and now I am in a position to see various buyers, but there are times when it is difficult to "buy.

Can't make up your mind?

tailYes, that's right. Buyers are so named because they are the ones who buy, and those who can buy are the ones who are great. Or rather, they are fulfilling their profession. It's fine to go to places where other people don't go, but can you buy anything there? But can you buy something there? Then, they say, "Wow, people who can buy things in Buenos Aires or anywhere else are amazing. That's great and cool. That is what being a buyer is all about. And Mr. Kaneko is not a profession, but is becoming such a creature.

moneyI am very particular about what I buy, or more specifically, what I spend all of my budget on. It's no good if I go to a place but can't buy anything, so I'm very particular about what I buy.

tail. that's what I was taught and feared the most during my apprenticeship. I was like, "Can you afford it? You?" Like. If you can't buy, you're seriously disqualified from being a buyer. Before a business trip, he would give me a lot of money and say, "Go ahead and spend it all. Is that so much? but they told me, "It's your job to buy," and threw me out. I was almost in tears as I put the things I had bought in my big bag.

Yes, it is a great responsibility.

tail. Buying is harder than you think. When you see people buying, it looks easy, but when you are asked to choose yourself, it is totally different. If what I buy doesn't sell at all, I don't get any recognition. I buy with this in mind, and each decision I make is extremely difficult.

One of Mr. Ozaki's memories. Part 1

tail.: This is one item that cannot be left out of the story of the relationship between me and Mr. Kaneko. You discovered it when Kaneko-san first went to Barcelona, didn't you?

money: Yes, yes, yes.

L'ÉCHOPPEさん(@lechoppe.jp)が投稿した写真 – Jun 28, 2016 2:35 AM PDT

tail. so called espadrilles from the espadrille shop, right?

money. clients include: Dali, Picasso, and Jack Nicholson.

tail. Dali loved it so much, and there are still a lot of pictures of it. Kaneko-san found it there and brought it back, and I went crazy when I saw it (laughs). (Laughs.) Then, when Kaneko-san went to Barcelona, I went with him and bought it. After that, I went with Kaneko when she went to Barcelona, and we bought it. That's why this item holds a lot of memories for me. It has a long history, and even looking at it now, it doesn't look old at all.

tailThe "bald-headed hat" that Mr. Kaneko mentioned in the first part, there is a version 2 of that hat in the world.

-That's what this is.

money: Oh, I have this version .

tail: Yes . Following the stealth baseball cap called the bald-chan hat, this is the second of the hats that Kaneko-san says creates admiration by wearing it.

money: I miss it.

tail. This is a special-order hat made by a British brand called "Fred Bear," based on a motif of U.S. Army hats from the 40s.

money. is no longer in existence.

tailMr. Kaneko wearing this was super cool, and we all admired him. But when I wore it, I didn't look like Mr. Kaneko, which was kind of funny (laughs). But after I washed it, it shrank a lot. . So I don't wear it anymore, but I can't throw it away.

moneyI like the name "Fred Bear".

tail. I wonder why it's gone.

tailWhen I joined Edifice, Mr. Kaneko entrusted me with the task of making logo T-shirts. And this is what I made. My senpai had made this "DURALEX" T-shirt, so I took over and made the "Peugeot" and "Citroen" T-shirts. This T-shirt is the French style. I enjoyed making the "Citroën" T-shirts because I was driving a crappy Citroën at the time.

money. it was kind of a big seller.

tailYes, it sold well. First, Peugeot sold well. Then we did Citroën next, and it sold again.

moneyDuralex" is not possible anymore, is it? . It seemed like a miracle at the time.

tail. I see. For some reason, the cup T-shirts sold really well (laughs).