The Fashion Memorandum of Keiji Kaneko
Buying Diary for Summer 2022, Part 1: England

Kaneko:I arrived at Heathrow Airport, stayed overnight in London, and drove to Wales in a rented car the next morning. My first destination was the factory of "Corgi. Not only this brand, but there are still many "made in UK" clothes in the U.K., and it is possible to work with such brands through Japanese distributors, but for us, that was not enough.

Kaneko:Rather than relying solely on what the agency sends out to sell, we can tell a story by visiting, seeing, and touching the products ourselves. I believe that by going one step further, we can create something that we can convey to our customers. The main purpose of my visit to the U.K. was to create such stories with brands and factories.

Kaneko:I went to John Smedley, Lavenham, and Sunspel. To some extent, I had already communicated what I wanted to do through the Japanese distributor, but when I actually went there, I found fabrics that were not in use at the moment. I would use those fabrics to make special orders, and I would make discoveries that I could not have made without going there. Also, I have found that things that I had given up on, thinking "this would be impossible," can be realized when I actually talk to the local craftsmen. Bespoke orders are all about such small details. Such detailed adjustments lead to a high degree of perfection.

Kaneko:In addition to that, I believe that the key to success is to find things on the way to the factories that are not what you are looking for. I told this to the staff accompanying me, and we found a vintage store and made a few stops.

Kaneko:. there are many. . but there are also some sights that can only be seen abroad, and so on. These are the kind of sights you can't see in London.

Kaneko:On the way to Bristol, I stopped by a thrift shop where I found reconstructed items of clothing from Carhartt and Adidas, so I bought them. That's how I make discoveries.

Kaneko:I had it hanging around my neck the whole time, so wherever I went, people would say, "Are you the paparazzi? If there was a spot along the way that looked like a good spot for a photo shoot, I would dress the staff in the samples I had brought from Japan and take their looks.