FEATURE | TIE UP

Translated By DeepL

A chance encounter between tokyovitamin and Converse, looking at the retro & future era.
tokyovitamin meets CONVERSE

A chance encounter between tokyovitamin and Converse, looking at the retro & future era.

This season, "CONVERSE" presented a collection based on the theme of "Retro & Future. How will this collection, which incorporates retro and new age moods, resonate with the young people known as "Generation Z"? HOUYHNHNM's" asked the creators and artists of tokyovitamin, a music label and brand that has been gaining more and more momentum in recent years, to do their own styling and tell a photo story. We will also delve into the full scope of their activities, and unravel the appeal of "Converse" through the words of each of them.

  • Photo_Cho Ongo
  • Text_Yuho Nomura
  • Coordinate_udai
  • Edit_Yosuke Ishii

PROFILE

tokyovitamin

A creative label from Tokyo focusing on art and music. In the past, the label has organized various members for each project, transcending nationality, gender, and field, and has been involved in creative activities such as organizing events held at clubs in Tokyo and managing pop-up stores. Their activities are diverse, including label management, apparel goods production, and video content production. They are also active as solo artists and are making their mark in their respective fields.

VICK (medium)
Creative Director, Producer / @vickokada

He is the brain behind tokyovitamin as well as a producer who directs a variety of projects. He is also a producer and the brain behind tokyovitamin and directs various projects. He has a deep friendship with various creators in Japan and abroad, and collaborates with VERDY, known as the designer of "Girls Don't Cry" and "Wasted Youth," and produces events and pop-up shops in partnership with VERDY, VERDY is known as a designer of "Girls Don't Cry" and "Wasted Youth" and produces events and pop-up stores. He also organizes and manages a collective video production team and has produced numerous videos for brands and artists.

DJ DISK (middle right)
DJ, trackmaker, music producer /. @djdisk_s2

He is a leading young music producer who has produced various domestic and international artists, including Lava La Rue's signature song "Widdit". He has a reputation as a DJ who can handle everything from underground events to fashion parties. Last summer, he released two EPs, "FIELDKUTTER" and "retzev". His edgy and spiky music collection is based on classic music such as disco and hip-hop, mixed with street sounds such as italo house and baile funki. He is scheduled to contribute and produce songs for many high-profile releases this year as well.

DUKE OF HARAJUKU (right)
Rapper / @dukeofharajuku

With his bilingualism and wide range of vocal styles, he is a key player in the next generation music scene. He has released several EPs in the past, and last year released his long-awaited first album "RAZZLE DAZZLE," produced by Star Boy, a producer and close friend of his, with the participation of GAB3, PETZ, FEMM, and other gorgeous artists. This year, he released "RAZZLE DAZZLE: SUPREME," a collection of independent remixes of the first album, which became a big hit. An online store specializing in the sale of original goods commemorating the album was also opened.

KENCHAN (left)
VJ, Filmmaker / @kenchantokyo

While continuing to work at his own pace as a VJ and DJ at various clubs in Tokyo, he also produces videos under the name tokyovitamin and works on music videos for artists with whom he has close relationships. In the past few years, he has also done client work at big stages such as Parco Shinsaibashi and ZEPP TOKYO, making his presence even more unshakable.

LONO3 (middle left)
DJ, model, store director /. @ LONO3

While working as a model and DJ based in New York City and Tokyo, he is also the store director of "UNION TOKYO," a select store that has been leading the global streetwear scene for more than 20 years since its opening in 1989 in the SOHO area of New York City. With active hobbies such as running, biking, and basketball, he has been deeply involved in the street scene and club culture since he was a child, partly due to his parents' influence, and is currently attracting attention as a leading figure in this scene.

Retro and futuristic sneakers dedicated to Generation Z.

With the dawn of the 2020s, a new decade will begin, and the baton of the era will be passed to Generation Z, a generation of young people born in the late 90s and 00s, who are also digital natives who grew up surrounded by smartphones and other cutting-edge technologies.

One of their main characteristics is that while they have access to a vast amount of up-to-date information that is updated daily, they are also interested in cultures and products that they have never experienced before. This tendency often leads to a fresh look at the technology and analog design of the 80s, which seemed idyllic, or the retro and futuristic worldview of old science fiction movies, which at the time would have been considered a pipe dream. These next-generation sensibilities are now beginning to be valued as new inspirations in the fashion scene.

This season's "Converse" theme, "Retro & Future," focuses on this new era of fashion. The lineup is retro, but at the same time, it also reads the mood of the new era and incorporates an as-yet-unseen future into its designs.

This time, focusing on five models, we collaborated for the first time with tokyovitamin, a Tokyo-based creative label that echoes the "Retro & Future" theme of this season's "Converse" collection.

INFORMATION

Converse Information Center

Phone: 0120-819-217
converse.co.jp