meets NEAT HOUSE, Daishi Nishino Slacks that look like something your grandfather would wear, made for the 9th anniversary.
PROFILE
. Born in 1983. . Born in Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture. While working as an elementary school teacher, he studied fashion and worked in PR for major brands. In the spring/summer 2020 season, she launched a new brand, "Dress. In September of this year, he opened a directly managed NEAT store, "NEAT House," which is open by appointment only.
PROFILE
. Born in 1983. . Born in Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture. While working as an elementary school teacher, he studied fashion and worked in PR for major brands. In the spring/summer 2020 season, she launched a new brand, "Dress. In September of this year, he opened a directly managed NEAT store, "NEAT House," which is open by appointment only.
. We have Mr. Seki, the director of "Toff" who is in Paris, joining us remotely today. Nito House opened this past September, but you haven't visited it yet, have you?
Seki: No, it opened just before I returned to France last time, so I just wanted to say hello. But I didn't have time to order, so that's something I'll look forward to next time.
Westfield: Thank you very much.
Seki: It's interesting and innovative to have an appointment-only ordering salon, where you can spend two hours in a luxurious and special atmosphere. . When you actually visit the salon, you will be amazed at the overwhelming amount of fabrics available, which is very appealing to fans of the brand.
Suzuki: We visited for the first time today and were surprised at the sheer volume of fabric. From the moment we walked in, we were both like, "This is so cool! (laughs). . We were also interested in the interior designer.
Westfield: We didn't hire a designer; we built it ourselves. Since the name is "Neat House," we wanted to make it look like a house, and rather than making up our minds before we opened, we gradually changed it after we opened, saying that it would be more convenient to have shelves and tables like this.
Okamoto: When we were asked to make a special order, we were looking at fabric swatches, so it is very powerful to see such a large number of fabrics available.
In addition to vintage fabrics, the store also stocks many fabrics from prestigious makers such as Taylor & Lodge (U.K.) and Loro Piana (Italy). For more information, please contactThis articleIn.
Do you have a long relationship with Mr. Nishino and Mr. Seki?
Westfield: The first time I exhibited at "Weekend Paris" at Parks Paris in January of this year was when I was invited to participate in the "Weekend Paris. That meeting was a year ago, and although I had known him for some time, that was the first time we met. We talked about how it would be great if we could work together to create an interesting project at "TOFU," which you are directing.
Seki: I have also been interested in "NEET" for a long time. I myself wear only denim pants, but the two members of "TOFF" wear slacks a lot. We talked about making original slacks, but it was difficult. I was able to meet with Mr. Nishino just at that time, so I asked him about it. I was afraid he would refuse (laughs).
Westfield: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (laughs).
Aoi Okamoto, the buyer of "TOF" with an iPhone in one hand , and Yusuke Suzuki, another buyer, on the right.
Suzuki: Actually, "tof" doesn't deal with "neat".
Westfield: Yes, that's right. The number of dealers for "NEAT" has been increasing, and we are not adding new dealers at this time. Instead of handling inline items as usual, how about a special order? I was asked if I would be interested in a special order.
Suzuki: It is normal for a company to first handle an inline product and then ask for a special order, but I cheekily asked them to let me do a special order out of the blue.
That's unheard of in the industry, isn't it?
Westfield: Maybe . However, personally, I think it is fine to not be bound by this concept, but only to have items that can only be purchased at the respective stores. When it came time to talk about what to make for the special order, I was asked to come up with "slacks that look like something an old man would wear" (laughs).
That's a good theme (laughs).
Suzuki: Along with that theme, I told them at the meeting that the color would be brown or gray.
Westfield: We were using fabrics from the British company "Bauer Roebuck" in our inline line. The fabric seemed to fit our image, so we proposed dozens of fabrics, mainly browns and grays. Did the blue-gray color for this project come easily to you two?
Suzuki: We each picked a color we were interested in, and we agreed that this blue-gray was the one we wanted.
Westfield: So it was! The material is the best of the best. The blue, navy and gray are used in the weaving threads , and it's beautiful. Above all, I like the theme (laughs).
Okamoto: We simply wanted ours (laughs). . Pants with the image of a vintage clothing store with a name or initials on them. Neat" has navy and black in their lineup, so we wanted to create a color other than those.
Westfield: Also, when I was given the theme, I knew that the silhouette would be perfect. This is the new "Standard" model for this fall/winter season, with a slightly tapered silhouette. NEAT" has tapered and wide straight silhouettes with deep two-in-tucks, but this is somewhere in between. I feel like my grandfather wears pants with this kind of silhouette and "Spalding" shoes.
Suzuki: I know this is really cheeky, but we were talking about the possibility of a special order for the silhouette as well. I was thinking that a slightly tapered silhouette would be nice. Then, a new "standard" silhouette appeared in our inline lineup, and it was exactly what we were looking for.
Westfield: Eh !? That's right.
Suzuki: When I tried on the "Standard" at the exhibition, I thought it was really nice! I thought, "They look great!
Westfield: Did Mr. Seki disagree with you?
Seki: Basically, "toff" thinks that we should sell what we both like. Even if I like something, if they don't nod their heads, I won't do it. On the other hand, if they are enthusiastic, I will agree. But if I get the feeling that they want to do it somehow, I will stop them. I am the director, but I don't make all the judgments.
Suzuki: Although we don't sell their products, many of our customers wear "NEAT" pants, and many of them like Mr. Nishino's style. NEET is simply what we admire, and that is also Mr. Nishino. I feel that we should learn from him and become the kind of person that people admire.
This is your first directly-managed store. How do you feel now that you are face-to-face with your customers?
Westfield: I used to be mainly a wholesaler, so I couldn't see my customers' faces, but now I can meet and talk with them in person, which is a big deal.
Suzuki: Indeed . If you had only met with dealers, you wouldn't know who your customers are. Since we are in the store all the time, I can sometimes picture the faces of customers when I am buying.
Westfield: We get along so well (laughs), and since we have two hours, we talk so much that we want to go straight out for a drink. I have the impression that "TOFU" has many customers.
Okamoto: They have been really supportive. We actually go out for drinks (laughs).
What kind of restaurant do you want to open in the future?
Westfield: I want to keep it small and intimate. It is not that we want to sell a lot here, but we want to make it a place where people who have always loved "NEET" can come. Basically, it is by appointment only, but I would like to hold events where anyone can come to the store. For example, I used to paint for a while, so I would like to hold events where people can try their hand at painting. I would like to make it a place where people can become more interested in "NEAT" and expand their world view.
Suzuki: . We are changing our name, but I don't think our stance will change much. . I hope we can offer something fresh for the customers who will come to the store in the future, while taking care of our current customers.
Okamoto: Gopongi is a very nice town , so I would like to take it at my own pace. . I would like to come up with ideas that everyone will find interesting.
neat house
Address: Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (address not disclosed)
Telephone number: Not open to the public
For reservationsthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity)
