L'ECHOPPE Keiji Kaneko × blurhms Keigo Murakami × REPRODUCTION OF FOUND Masato Kamieda Military sneakers without borders created by three vintage clothing enthusiasts.
. Once again, I would like to talk about sneakers with Mr. Kamieda of "Reproduction of Found" (* hereafter referred to as "Reproduction"). Are these deconstructed French trainers Mr. Murakami's personal belongings?
Murakami: Yes.
Kaneko: This is badass, it's so cool. I see it's a personal item.
Murakami: It is a personal item I bought a long time ago. I had worked with Mr. Kamieda before, but I didn't know he was doing "reproduction.
Upper branches: We had a junior in common, and so when he came to visit me at the exhibition, he said, "Oh, you were a designer here?" Like, "Oh, you were a designer here?
Murakami: Yes, yes (laughs).
Kaneko: It was such a reunion, wasn't it? Mr. Kamieda didn't give his name, so it's not surprising that you didn't recognize him. These crushed French trainers were taken apart to make these sneakers, right?
Murakami: . yes. I had never made shoes before, so I didn't know what I was doing until I took them apart. When I started making clothes, I often disassembled them. I took it apart piece by piece and built it up in my mind how it could be balanced.
Murakami: This is the first time I've been beaten so badly (laughs). (Laughs.) I think the only person who thought of taking it apart was Mr. Murakami.
Masato Kamieda is the designer of "Reproduction of Found". Although he and Mr. Kaneko and Mr. Murakami have something in common, this is the first time the three of them have worked together.
Murakami-san and Kamieda-san, at what point did you become business associates?
Upper branches: The store is no longer in business, but I was in charge of purchasing and planning original items for a boutique called "Number 44 (n°44)," and he assisted me at that time. Since then, it had been more than 10 years since we had a proper conversation.
Murakami: I saw him around town often and said hello, but it has been about that long since we spoke.
Kaneko: I like those roots of the two of you. Number 44 was a very popular restaurant, and it was the one that made the French M-47s and such fashionable.
Murakami: The store was like a pioneer of military remake.
Kaneko: . yes, it's rather expensive, but it's like a crazy sale.
. That is the starting point of what you two are doing now, isn't it?
Upper branches: Yes, it is.
Kaneko: When I look at the items you are working on now, I think, "I see. The reason why the two of you are so trustworthy is related to the fact that you both have your own careers.
Multi-military trainer ¥35,000+tax
As with the pants, this is a masterpiece that combines the designs of four different countries into a single piece. Four types of charcoal gray suede in different tones and nylon give the pants a deep look. *Advance reservations will be held from January 23 (Sat.) to 31 (Sun.) at the "Reshop Shibuya" store.
I imagine it must have been quite a challenge even for you two to make these sneakers.
Upper branches: . It was quite difficult. The factory we always ask for help from has been around for more than half a century, and is a factory that sticks to the old-fashioned manual work, and they reject the number of cuttings that we have to do. So when we first asked them to do it, they said, "No way" (laughs).
Kaneko: So they turned you down straight away (laughs).
Upper branches: . Since we were combining models with different lasts, it was not a simple process. . It took a lot of time to fine-tune the shoes, because a few millimeters of difference would make them completely different.
Murakami: . You mentioned that you made several new molds for these sneakers.
Upper branches: Yes, it is a sneaker that makes factories cry (laughs).
Murakami: First, I drew a sketch like a blueprint and showed it to Mr. Kamieda, but he said he wouldn't know until he tried it.
Upper branches: It has been five years since I started my brand, but you really don't know what to expect from shoes until you try them. There are many things that I thought I could do but never did.
Kaneko: It is thanks to the two of you that it has taken proper shape.
Are the sneakers based on French, German, British, or Canadian military sneakers as well as the pants?
Upper branches: Yes . Actually, the brand started with these four models, so I myself have a strong emotional attachment to them.
Murakami: It was by accident, wasn't it?
Upper branches: Currently, we have more than 20 models, which we make or not every season, but we have been making these four models for a long time.
Kaneko: It is hard to believe that these four legs can be consolidated into one.
Upper branches: Even so, the model has a lot of parts, so much so that the factory staff is always stingy with me when I make inlines (laughs). (Laughs). This time, it's an added bonus, so we've decided to go with .......
Kaneko: That would be a rejection (laughs).
Upper branches: Nowadays, machines have evolved, and to a certain extent, products can be made automatically. I don't think that low-tech is necessarily better, but I think that this factory has a kind of flavor that can be produced because of its experienced craftsmen.
Did you propose several designs for these sneakers as you did for the pants?
Kaneko: This is only one pattern, right?
Murakami: Shoes are constrained, so I felt like this was the only way to do it. We combine low-tech, but there is something high-tech about it.
Upper branches: It's an exquisite balance, isn't it? . You used four different colors of suede, and you have a great eye for detail. I think shoes need to be designed from a different perspective than clothes, and I am amazed that you were able to develop this image.
Kaneko: It's really a quintessence, isn't it?
Murakami: No, no, I was going crazy (laughs).
Upper branches: I've already shifted my mind to shoemaking, but it's not every day that someone whose main focus is on clothes can come up with a design like this.
This is exactly the Murakami balance.
Kaneko: This is exactly what it is.
Upper branches: There were a lot of hardships, but I think the fact that we were able to work on manufacturing from perspectives that we would never have thought of helped to raise the level of our work. We were able to experience the real thrill of collaboration.
Murakami: I wasn't consciously aware of it, but I was deeply moved that I was able to create this at the time of the 10th anniversary of the launch of "Blurhms".
Kaneko: I think only Mr. Kamieda and Mr. Murakami could have created the atmosphere that makes you fall in love with a pair of shoes once you see them. Without Reproduction's production background and knowledge of military shoes, I don't think we would have been able to create something with such a high degree of perfection.
Do the three of you share a common love of vintage clothing?
Upper branches: . maybe that's part of it. I think we each like different genres of vintage clothing, but I think all three of us have been through a small amount of vintage clothing.
Kaneko: Yes, I can somewhat understand the taste that Ueda and Murakami-san like.
Murakami: I agree with you.
Do the three of you ever get together again and talk about what you want to do?
Murakami: . because Mr. Kaneko's eyes are changing color when he sees this dismantled French trainer (laughs).
Kaneko: I would love to do these crash sneakers.
Upper branches: . another subject that I'm sure I'll get prickly about from the factory (laughs).
I worked on the key visual for this project.bananayamamotoThe site and serial numbered replica (¥18,000+TAX) will also be released on a limited basis. A printed T-shirt featuring this work will also be available from "Blurhms Roots Stock".
