moneyI think the days of wholesaling to select stores may be over. I don't know how I should say this, but I think the time for wholesaling to select shops may be over.
tailI'm getting to the point where it's getting really exciting (laughs).
moneyI think it may be an exaggeration to say that it is over, but I am sure that we have to think about a lot of things.
tailIn terms of cost ratio, it is most profitable for a select store to make PB products and sell them at the top price. Therefore, nowadays, the structure of purchasing products and PB products is reversed from what it used to be. With the exception of "reshops. In that sense, unique brands such as Sankakkei are difficult for select stores to handle. As someone who is involved in both branding and buying, I have a very good idea of what kind of products can be sold in a select store. So, while I understand that from a business standpoint, I, as an artist, want to create something that goes in a different direction. So what do I do? I thought I would come up with a new method that is not only wholesale. That's what I'm talking about. I always want to challenge myself to create products with a cost that would not be accepted in the market with a wholesale price setting.
moneyI think that's right. People who are interested in "Sankakke" would probably want to buy from Ozaki if at all possible. If that is the case, I think it would be better for these products to be sold by him honestly.
tail: So, I'm thinking of doing something like renting a place and having a salon-like direct sales event. Traveling all over the country.
moneyI think: that's good.
tailI'm fortunate that I like to travel, so it doesn't bother me at all.
moneyWe should find a way to resolve the stress that both the store and the brand are under.
tailI think that people in other countries do things differently than we do here in Japan, but they do it well.
What do you mean?
tailWhen I travel around the U.S., I find that there are many types of stores that do not have the process of going to an exhibition once every six months and stocking up there. They have things they made themselves, things their friends made, and things they bought at thrift stores and flea markets, and they operate with those items. And if I want to take a break from the store, I take a break. That's what I really want to do with the Young & Olsen The Dry Goods Store brand. That is why, when I started the brand, I told everyone that I wanted to run a small business. But I've become quite busy in spite of that.
moneyBut it's good that way, because it makes everyone happy.
tailYes, I think so.
moneyI think it's the right way to do it. It's a form of doing things in a way that makes everyone happy. However, what we are doing at "reshop" can only be done because we have a business type that is taking solid figures within the company. I wonder how far we are allowed to go.
tailAlso, lately, isn't there a tendency, or an atmosphere, that it is somehow a loss to buy clothes for such a high price? People who want to sell low-priced, high-margin items want to stop people from buying really good, expensive items. I think that part has changed a lot from 10 years ago. However, I don't think the number of people who like clothes like crazy, as I call them, will ever disappear. Even among those people, there are still many who have not been able to visit "reshop" or come to the stores.
You mentioned it in the first part.
tailYes, that is my strong point this time. That is my strong point this time. But we live in an age where information is equally accessible to everyone, so if people see through media such as HOUYHNHNM's and say, "Hey, these people are doing something interesting," I think that will change things. If people see us buying crazy clothes and think, "Wait a minute, what I'm wearing now is boring. These people are wearing crazy expensive clothes, but they look like they are having a lot of fun. Don't they look so happy?" And I'm like, "Oh my God, the clothes are interesting. I think there are a lot of people who wake up and think, "Oh my God, clothes are interesting. I think "Reshop" is a store that creates people like that. I want to increase the number of people like that. I want to increase the number of such people. I am a crazy person myself, of course, but I would like to do something that tells the reserve army that crazy people have interesting ways to live.
moneyWe need Ozaki-kun to do his best, too (laughs).
tailI am now relying on Kaneko-san's blog (laughs). (laughs) But I think there are people who have changed because of that.
I think so.
moneyAnyway, it's not good if people don't think, "Clothing is fun! It's not good if it doesn't become "Clothing is fun! It's already starting to decline.
tail: You're having less fun with your clothes. No, it's not. It's not decreasing, but it's becoming invisible. It's not a conspiracy theory. It's supposed to be fun, but it's becoming a different kind of competition. It's like the winner is the stronger, or the stronger wins. I don't think that's what it's about.
The fundamentally interesting things are the same now as they have been in the past. It is there, isn't it?
tailIt's interesting because there are so many different kinds of clothes. Everyone has a different face and body, and the clothes that suit them are different. Yet, everyone is led to want the same things, isn't that so? It's easier to do business that way. However, I would like everyone to realize how fun clothes can be and think, "This looks better on me, and I look like me wearing this.
I understand.
tailThere are a lot of people like that overseas, because there is no such thing as a fad. For example, the ribbed T-shirt from Young & Olsen the Dry Goods Store sold very well this summer, and the ribbed T-shirt itself seems to have become popular. So, if you look around in Aoyama or Daikanyama, there is usually at least one person walking around wearing a ribbed T. Of course, it is not only our brand's products. Of course, it is not only our brand's products. Amazing Japanese people!
moneyI know, right?
tail: I'm not saying that those things are bad. It's just that they are very fashion-conscious. But when I went on a trip to the U.S., of course I didn't see anyone wearing ribbed T-shirts. There are no obvious trends. They are all wearing what they like without hesitation, from old men with dreadlocks and rags to blondes and body-conscious women. It is interesting to note that even in Japan, young people seem to be more like this these days. They don't have any strange knowledge or obsession, so I get the sense that they are doing things freely.
I'm in my early 20s or so.
tailYes: Yes. Everyone seems to be free and happy. When I say, "You're wearing nice clothes," they say, "What? What's this?" They say, "What's this?
moneyIn that sense, Ozaki enjoys fashion most freely.
tailI try to keep that in mind. There are days when I wonder if it is safe for a 36-year-old man to go out dressed like this. But if I didn't enjoy wearing clothes in my position, I wouldn't be qualified to be in this business anymore. It's not right for me to live conservatively and tell others to wear more interesting clothes. Above all, I didn't become interested in fashion to suppress what I like. My motivation is to be cool and to stand out. I want people to know how fun it is, so I think I would like to write about that on HOUYHNHNM's blog.
Whoa! It's been years!
tailYes, I finally got the chance (laughs).
I'm glad to hear that. I guess it's time to wrap things up for the second part. Mr. Kaneko, do you have any last questions for Mr. Ozaki? This project is a "SWITCH INTERVIEW" in a manner of speaking (laughs).
moneyI am interested in what they want to do in the future. I don't think they are aiming for something, but I wonder where they will end up. I don't think they are aiming for anything.
tailI would like to ask Mr. Kaneko about that, too (laughs). But I am thinking more about the future than I used to. In the past, I didn't even think about tomorrow. What I have finally come to realize recently is that I have to do the work that I can do on my own by myself. I think I am suited for a small business. I think I am suited to a job where I can complete what I need to do on my own and convince or impress others with it.
moneyI can see why.
tail: Maybe, in the future, it doesn't have to be fashion anymore. Well, if it can be done. For now, I would like to focus on continuing what I am doing now. Also, recently there are more and more people around me who are younger than me, so I've come to think that I need to be the one to tell them that fashion can be interesting if they do it this way. I don't like it a bit (laughs).
moneyI guess so. I'm old enough to realize that.
tailWe are now old enough to be on the teaching side. I'm starting to think that I need to teach what I've learned to the next generation. Maybe I'll start blogging again more and more.
moneyI like it. You have a talent for writing, Ozaki.
tailI'll do it, blog. Kaneko's "notebook that records every day of clothing worn by customersLet's go beyond the "Mere Old Man" (laughs).
