Furniture Craftsman and Descente Ortelaine.

Descente Allterrain's outerwear is created by the careful handiwork of artisans. What kind of chemical reaction would occur if craftsmen active in fields different from fashion were to wear these items? With this in mind, we approached Rikiya Amberuoka, who handles store interiors and furniture under the trade name "MOBLEY WORKS. Surprisingly, he has been a hardcore customer of Mizusawa Down since Descente Ortelaine was born. Why was Mr. T鰤ookaka so quick to take notice of this brand? To find out, we visited him at his home in Machida, Tokyo.

Photo_Takuroh Toyama

Text_Yuichiro Tsuji

Edit_Ryo Muramatsu

PROFILE

Rikiya Yellowtail Oka

Representative of MOBLEY WORKS

Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1976 . After graduating from college, he worked in social work, but then became interested in furniture and interior design work and joined "Gallup," a company that dealt in old lumber and other materials. After gaining experience there, he became independent and established "Mowbray Works," where he works on store interiors and furniture.
Instagram: @mobleyworks

When I think about my originality , I arrive at the culture that influenced me.

What kind of fashion influences have you had, Mr. Yellowtailoka?

Yellowtailoka:I am 45 years old now, and I was strongly influenced by the American casual boom I experienced in junior high school, and when I was in my 30s, there was a time when European interior design was in fashion, and I tried buying and wearing clothes along with that trend, but I didn't really fit in. So my basic style is American casual.

I knew you were wearing Levi's® jeans, right?

Yellowtailoka:. you were wearing them. And then there's Michael Jordan...I remember the Dream Team from the '92 Barcelona Olympics. I think I was in junior high school when the "Air Jordan" was around 5. I used to stand in line to buy them. When I was 24, I joined Gallup, which is run by the same company as Backdrop and Propeller.

It was a typical American casual store in Harajuku and Shibuya at that time. It was what you would call "masculine".

Yellowtailoka:Yes, I really liked that atmosphere and used to go there often. The manager of Gallup was also wearing 501® in a very cool way. Fashion was my first introduction to American casual, and I think it was a good choice for me to join an interior design store that sells style. . I myself prioritize style over technique. I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool if a guy who wears Levi's® made furniture like this? That's how I started.

I feel that your style is still the same.

Yellowtailoka:. Yes, that's right. When I think about my own originality when creating something, I always come back to the culture that I like and that has influenced me. I mentioned earlier that European furniture was popular, and I tried sampling it to make my own pieces, but I felt frustrated because they didn't have a sense of my own identity. That is why I often sample furniture from American manufacturers and culture.