PROFILE
Born in Tokyo in 1985, he graduated from Bunka Fashion Graduate University and joined Miyake Design Studio in 2010, became a designer for Issey Miyake Men in 2001, established his own company and started CFCL in 2008, and won the New Designer Award at the 39th Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix in 2009. In 2009, he won the New Designer Award and the Shiseido Encouragement Award at the 39th Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix, as well as the FASHION PRIZE OF TOKYO.
3D computer knitting and design that confronts modern life and society .
CFCL" is an acronym for "Clothing for Contemporary Life".
First, we thought it was important that the company or brand have a clear message to society, so we thought it was important to use a simple alphabetical name like "BMW" or "HSBC" while giving the impression of scale and a corporate feel. For example, "MoMA" is clearly a museum of modern art, and Rem Koolhaas' architectural firm, "OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture)," clearly identifies itself as building for the city. There are three main points for "CFCL," whose pillar is to create necessary clothes for people living modern life, which is changing day by day and moment by moment.
The first is sophistication. It means having the dignity to meet all the standards of urban living, whether working remotely from home, in a restaurant, or in a reception setting. The second is "Comfort & Easy Care". Most of our products are machine washable, quick drying, and wrinkle resistant. . The third is "Consciousness," which is a responsibility to use sustainable materials, minimize waste, and have traceability. Without these three elements, we are conscious of the fact that we cannot put the "CFCL" tag on our products.
CFCL uses mainly recycled materials and employs LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), a method for quantitatively evaluating greenhouse gas emissions, as well as calculating the percentage of materials used that meet international standards such as the Global Recycled Standards (GRS), which certify our responsibility to the global environment and basic rights of use. In addition, we calculate the percentage of materials used that meet international standards such as the Global Recycle Standard (GRS), which certifies our commitment to the global environment and basic human rights. The usage rate for this season is 58.84%. The percentage of materials used in all mass-produced products, including spots, is calculated and published.
You are the first company in the Japanese fashion apparel industry to implement LCA, and you also publish your own "Sustainability Report" every six months.
I think it is unnatural to say that we are not environmentally conscious in starting a business in 2020. You have to clearly state your stance in the face of many contradictions, such as biased viewpoints and greenwashing issues. I myself am not a specialist, so I have set up a CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) and am trying to clarify the elements that need to be addressed while "visualizing" them as much as possible. While continuing to implement and publicize the LCA, we have conducted a questionnaire with 151 questions as "SDG Performance Guidelines" to all 13 clients, from suppliers, factories, yarn makers, and annexed shops. The purpose of this survey was to understand the current status of suppliers as a whole, and to expand the circle of "consciousness," one of the concepts of CFCL, in addition to solving the issues represented by the SDGs. CFCL aims to achieve virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Each item is labeled with the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the procurement of raw materials to disposal of a single product. Four of the 36 models for the entire season are being measured at this time, but the goal is to have all models covered by 2025.
. This is the percentage of raw materials used in production that are certified as responsible for the global environment and basic human rights. The company calculates the percentage of materials that meet international standards, such as the Global Recycled Standards (GRS), used in all of its products. CFCL's goal is to produce 100% recycled fiber clothing by 2030.
. The last section is a summary of the results of the "SDGs Performance Guidelines" questionnaire, which Mr. Takahashi also mentioned in the interview. These guidelines include 151 checkpoints, each of which is rated on a 5-point scale from A to E, and comments are provided. The purpose of the survey is to strengthen future efforts by having each company involved in the SDGs conduct an independent evaluation.
How did you become aware of global and social issues?
My mother was a social writer, and she was sensitive to environmental issues and the destruction of human life and nature by public works, so my knowledge and interest in such issues has been there since I was very young. I believe that activists with an awareness of global environmental and social issues have been active for some time, but I think the tide has turned a bit since Greta Toonberg and others began to speak out around 2019. The brand's vision encompasses not only the SDGs, but also AI, 5G, IoT, and remote working, which I have been thinking about since before the pandemic, as they relate to the changes in modern life. .
CFCL's WHOLEGARMENT knitwear is characterized by the fact that there is no surplus material, or waste.
Some items are made of 100 percent recycled polyester yarn, and of course, we care about the global environment. However, the word "sustainable" itself is not a selling point. A sales pitch is the strength of our products compared to the products of other companies. As environmental consciousness becomes more and more commonplace, the word "sustainable" itself becomes a sales slogan, which is a contradiction in terms. What CFCL produces is "clothing for modern life. At the time when I started the brand, interest in the SDGs was growing, and people's awareness, including that of the pandemic, was shifting in the direction of what kind of clothing will be necessary in the future, and I think it was easy to generate sympathy because I was thinking from multiple perspectives.
The interview took place at the CFCL office, located in a building just off Kotto-dori in Aoyama, Tokyo.
The sharply shaped dresses with the iconic "Pottery" design from your debut collection were very impressive, as if the warm image of knitwear was being renewed.
In the Paris Collection, which has a history of more than 50 years, I think it is difficult to continue creating so-called new and surprising silhouettes. Even so, for example, a feminine form is created from the balance between the waist and hips, and the aesthetic sense that captures the human mind's perception of "beauty" does not seem to change over time. CFCL" is an attempt to capture the times by using modern techniques, in other words, 3D computer knitting, while keeping these points firmly in mind.
I have been making dresses using 3D computerized knitting since I was a student. However, at that time, there were few designers who were presenting fashionable knit dresses at the Paris Collections, and there was almost no market for them. On the other hand, today, with the progress of casualization, the soil is more flexible and accepting, and I think it is now a good time to do what I have wanted to do for a long time. There is no other knitwear brand in the world that focuses on 3D computerized knitting and uses washable and sustainable materials as thoroughly as CFCL. . Therefore, I am confident that CFCL will be accepted around the world.
COLUMN" is one of "CFCL's" signature pieces. . As the name suggests, the dress has a unique shape like an Ionic column.
. Please tell us about the "CFCL" VOL. 2 collection.
First of all, the debut season (VOL.1) is important to the plain and neutral worldview of "CFCL". In other words, it is parallel to the concept = theme. The theme is "Knit-Ware. It is a spelling of "Ware," such as tableware and software, and means "vessel. By superimposing the word "Ware" on the word "Wear," the knitwear is considered as a vessel to wrap the body, and a ceramic image is projected. Both "Ware" and "Clothing" have been with us since the birth of human civilization. . because they are necessary for life. . Despite this, the current situation is that unessential clothes are produced in excess due to transient trends, and this has become a social problem. CFCL's message is that we want to make clothes that are essential in the true sense of the word.
VOL.2 extends the concept of "Ware" to the scale of architecture. Architecture, too, is seen as a vessel for life, born out of the way of life and civilization, to protect mankind from the natural environment. We thought we could extend the concept of knitwear by overlapping the word architecture, which has a robust image, with the warm and soft image of knitwear and its historical background.
The inspiration for CFCL's Vol. 2 collection came from robust architecture, from ancient Greek temples to modern skyscrapers.
Ware" in a broad sense, which has been related to the history of people's lives, is being extended with the concept of knitwear. Does this relate to lifestyles, and by extension, to the way people live?
. I think so. For example, CFCL does not use a logo in its clothing designs. In the end, I think that a brand that is easy to understand is like "armor" that makes you strong in a sense, and I would like people who feel such elements are an obstacle to wear CFCL. Those who don't need armor are the ones who are facing society and answering the question of who they are. For example, even if AI is taking human jobs, people who have already found their own specialties and are positive about the changing times may be the personas in "CFCL. For such people, flashiness and logos are a distraction, and it is better to keep the style neutral, allowing the wearer to be who he or she is. I think CFCL's clothes should be like a "thin skin" that supports this. I think there are not enough clothes for people who are conscious of environmental issues, ethical issues, and human rights issues. CFCL pursues consciousness in all aspects, and we want to be a brand that these people can wear with confidence.
Mr. Takahashi is wearing a mock-neck T-shirt by CFCL.
The fashion and apparel industry has been called responsible for a large environmental impact.
I often talk with CSOs about how apparel tends to be the bad guy, but in fact, it is not only apparel that has a huge environmental impact. . However, fashion is easy to shed light on because it is something that is very close to us. As the Minister of the Environment said, in other words, fashion has the power to change people's minds because it is something that is close to them. Fashion may be able to change the world. On the other hand, the fashion industry, which has continued to create new things centering on the Paris Collections, is faced with the question, "Is something new really good? Is something new really good? However, this question itself can be seen as a new trend. What is important is to continue to make clothes that people want not only for the current era but also for the next era.
