PROFILE
Worked at a major select store from a sales position to a buyer. Later, he joined "Bishop" in Kobe. Under the motto of "earning with your feet," he travels around Japan spreading the word about good products that have yet to be seen.
I want to find "something" that is half a step beyond the basic category.
What styles and brands does Bishop recommend for this fall/winter season?
We still recommend the basic styling that underlies our company. Striped cut-and-sewns by Ocival and bags by Brady, which have been our staples for a long time, are popular not only among customers in their 40s and older, but also among customers in their 20s today. However, while retaining the strengths of "Bishop," we launched the "Handkerchief Club" in order to offer a proposal that is half a step ahead as a company. The Handkerchief Club was started from the question, "What is a handkerchief that an adult who knows about quality can carry? As the name suggests, the brand mainly sells handkerchiefs and matching shirts as a set.
It is very smooth and comfortable to the touch.
We are particularly particular about the fabrics we use. We use only world-class materials, such as broadcloth from the Swiss company Almo and the traditional Indian textile Kadi. We have taken a long time to select the fabrics, but we hope that our customers will feel a new basic that they have not seen in "Bishop" up to now. Also, I recommend "Buzz Rickson's" as a new brand to be introduced this season.
Handkerchief Club Pinstripe fabric from the long-established Swiss textile manufacturer "Almo" is used to create a contemporary wide silhouette shirt. Delivered in a heavy box together with a handkerchief, eco-bag and stickers. ￥35,200
Why did you choose Buzz Lixons again?
Tension toward military clothing has been increasing in tandem with the vintage boom. It is not impossible to buy secondhand clothing, but that would not be interesting as a select store. That's why we picked up Buzz Lixons. Of all the military brands, they excel at vintage reproduction, so we asked them to reproduce the MA-1. Of course, we also faithfully reproduced the remade parts that may have been altered by the previous owner. It is a piece of clothing that I have a lot of feelings for because it was completed after repeated trial and error. It might be good for women to wear it oversized and rough.
BUZZ RICKSON'S This is a special-order model by Buzz Lixons that recreates a vintage item used by the staff. The front and back patches, leather piping on the collar and cuffs, and other details that were probably remade by the previous owner are faithfully reproduced. ￥104,500
What do you personally think of the fashion trends for fall/winter?
Just as the market has become less wasteful due to the influence of Corona, I myself seem to be wearing the most basic clothes I have ever worn. My recent purchases include a vintage Levi's 501, a Padmore & Barnes Willow, a New Era baseball cap, and a vintage Brooks Brothers button-down shirt with a maker's tag. All of these items are considered standard items. Also of interest among the "Bishop" items is a New York brand called "Handbark. The label specializes in cut-and-sewn clothing and is owned by a former elite banker and textile designer couple, and their products are made to a high degree of perfection through thorough product control. Padmore & Barnes, New Era, and Brooks Brothers also fall into this category, but I believe that their products can be used for a long time because they are not overly conscious of fashion and maintain the same sincere manufacturing style.
I heard that you believe in buying with your feet.
That was taught to me when I had just become a buyer. It was my first overseas business trip. I was going there directly to buy things, no matter how small, that were only available locally. There was no such thing as Wi-Fi back then, and I walked around foreign cities relying on maps and intuition. What I bought there was a simple Italian belt. My seniors laughed at me. It was because of this frustrating experience that I was able to go to Oaxaca, Mexico and Buenos Aires, Argentina, where not many buyers set foot, and buy without hesitation.
I know that it is very difficult to go abroad nowadays.
However, there are many local brands in Japan that are not yet well known. For example, Sekizuka, a Kyoto-based footwear specialty store; Naruto Trunks, which makes surf shorts and easy pants in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture; and Nagoya-based Hawk, which has Bishu, one of the world's leading textile production centers, as its production background. For each of these labels, our own product teams visit the labels and talk directly with the designers. As buyers, it is our important job to convey the personality and philosophy of the creators to the sales staff in a warm and direct manner.
NALUTO TRUNKS This exclusive "Bishop" is made of stretchy fine-ribbed corduroy. The tote, made of the same fabric as the body, can also be used as an eco-bag. ¥19,800
handvaerk This piece has a smooth texture and elegant luster created by the luxurious use of hand-picked fine Peruvian cotton. The calculated silhouette gives a relaxed yet noble impression. Long sleeve T-shirt with crew neck ￥11,000, Long sleeve T-shirt with turtleneck ¥11,550
I see that your past experiences are now being put to good use.
In an age when it is said that clothes are not selling well, I think it is important to present customers with "something ordinary but not ordinary," which is half a step beyond the basic category. I would like to continue to buy in my own way, while following the "bishop" style without wavering.
The shirt Mr. Yamamoto is wearing is from "Handkerchief Club. The sweatshirt draped over his shoulder is an old Adidas shirt.
