Manufacturing that makes good use of the story of the journey.
You left New York and went to Los Angeles, didn't you?
Kaneko:Yes, we headed west and went to San Francisco, but we had no idea of the many troubles that would follow....
I'm curious to know what kind of trouble you had, but for now, let's move the story forward.
Kaneko:The first day I arrived in L.A., there was nothing going on, but I did some research and found some good golf wear stores and went to RRL and Ron Herman. One of our staff members who accompanied me, I went to the newly openedBODEThe expensive jackets purchased at a store in the city were later...
What happened?
Kaneko:It was stolen....
What a surprise!
Kaneko:That's right. That's just the beginning.
Kaneko:Here is a shot of the market. Here we stocked up on used clothing, and there were leather jackets worn by students at a school that welds iron, which were cool and we bought them in bulk. There were a lot of fashionable people there.
Kaneko:This is the coolest bike shop in the world. I think it's the coolest bike shop in the world.GOLDEN SADDLE CYCLERYIt's called "The Bicycle". There are so many bicycles parked behind the store. It is a tiny store, but it is very nice.
Kaneko:Then we rented a car and headed for San Francisco, but to our surprise, there were a lot of ants in the car....
It's a difficult road ahead....
Kaneko:As expected, it was hard to drive 600 kilometers on the road with Ali, so we asked him to change immediately.
Did you stop at vintage clothing stores along the way, as you did in Europe?
Kaneko:There is nothing on the road from L.A. to San Francisco, so it's straight through. However, I later realized that it was a mistake to go there by car in the first place....
Kaneko:As soon as we arrived, we parked our car in a public parking lot in the middle of the city.ALS ATTIREI went to a restaurant called. This is a really nice store and you should definitely go there when you come to San Francisco. It is one of the coolest stores in terms of coolness.
Kaneko:The owner, Mr. Al, is a tailor. He also makes shoes. We wanted to deal in a certain American leather shoe brand, but we were not able to do so, so we decided to have shoes made here instead. There are several craftsmen working here, and they also offer shoe repair services. The quality of the products is really high, and the prices are inexpensive, so it's a really good store.
Kaneko:And here is where the big incident happened, the car was vandalized. And then we had to change cars again...
What was stolen?
Kaneko:I alone had a total of about 100,000 yen worth of stuff missing. A Leica lens, a Levi's® 3rd G-jacket, my favorite Shorthorn Western shirt, and so on. I brought everything I couldn't leave at the hotel in L.A. in my car, and there was a lot of important stuff in there. It was fortunate that I didn't put any merchandise-type stuff in there.
Is this the first time you've had your car vandalized while buying?
Kaneko:First time. I'm trying to get a rental car. According to the person who responded that day, "This is my fourth car today alone. I bet there are dozens of cars damaged in a day. It is definitely better to fly to San Francisco and take a cab or something to get around.
Kaneko-san's shopping Part 1
I bought these corduroy pants in San Francisco. After my car was vandalized, I wanted a change of clothes, so I went to a thrift store and bought these pants. But he still hasn't worn them after all (laughs).
Side gore boots by [AL'S ATTIRE]. They are made to order, so the ones in the store are made to order for other people," he said. The size is just right, and the width is quite wide. I was impressed by the form, which is not found in ready-made shoes.
(Left) He says he ends up buying items from The WHO when he finds them. (Right) "Golden Saddle Cyclery" is "the coolest bike shop in the world," Mr. Kaneko enthuses.
Kaneko:The next day, undeterred, we went to Oakland to see Otani play a game. It was the day that he might tie Babe Ruth's record, and he made sure to soothe our sorrows by hitting a home run and becoming the winning pitcher.
I think Otani's success is a very positive thing.
Kaneko:This brand is run by a couple, a painter sister and a clothing maker brother, and they have great style and were very cool.
I got some inspiration here, too, and heard some good stories. There are long distance trucks in the US, and I heard that there are a lot of radio programs aimed at these people.
I see that culture has taken root in the company.
Kaneko:That's right. I heard that various patches are made along with this culture, and that they are very cute, and this woman draws her pictures using them as inspiration. She drew her pictures while taking inspiration from such things, and later on in her travels, she found a large number of these patches.
So you can find hints for this kind of thing through communication with other people.
Kaneko:That's right. If I had not heard about it, I would have gone through with it for sure. And so, while browsing through various vintage clothing stores in San Francisco, I returned to Los Angeles.
Kaneko:And I had a couple of appointments the next day.READY OBJECTSI went to a brand that makes hand-knitted accessories called "KARAKUCHI".
Kaneko:This one makes 100% silk cut-and-sew garments.UNE HEURESThe brand is called "Made in LA". The brand is run by a French woman who grew up in the U.S., and she seems to be inspired by old movies. Looking at her Instagram, I can see such influences in her visuals, which are unique.
Is this HTC?
Kaneko:Yes, I did. I think everyone used to wear studded items, but I never bought any. But recently I have been noticing that studded items have been getting hot, so I went to check them out. These people are also dealers, They had a lot of bean totes, so I was thinking of doing a special order of studs on them. They also had a Levi's® corduroy jacket, so I asked them to put studs on it.
Kaneko:And speaking of Los Angeles, [Joon]!Save Khaki United (SAVE KHAKI UNITED)I'm sorry. This is David, the director. This brand is also carried at "Journal Standard," which is a factory. This is a factory, so we make all kinds of things.
Is there anything in the works here?
Kaneko:I originally wanted to make things in Los Angeles, and although I am running a label called "LE," I wanted to start "LA. While I was thinking that, I had no idea of what kind of clothes I wanted to make. However, after my car was vandalized this time, I bought various things for myself to wear at thrift stores, and I thought I would use that as the subject matter.
So you decided to make the most of the story of your trip.
Kaneko:So I wondered what would happen if I took what you see in this photo and made it Los Angeles style. I don't think local people would wear a jacket with shoulder pads. We are now planning to have them converted to the L.A. style, and to use materials that can be worn in this city, such as cotton twill or light corduroy.
I'm looking forward to it. Next, who is this?
Kaneko:The man on the right is [Joon].MONITARYYou are Yuki Matsuda of the brand "〉", right? When I visited her at her office, she said, "I've been working withThe CO-OPThere was also a strange connection that a boy named Fukuda-kun, whom I became friends with when I was working on the "KARAKUSAI" project, was working part-time at the company. I visited his home, and it was a very stylish house.
Kaneko:In the evening, I was taken to a unique local restaurant like this one, which really smelled like it was from the 70s and 80s, and really looked like a place you would see in a movie. The customers who came had style and everyone was cool.
Kaneko:[Claire] The next day.CLUTCHGOLFI have also been looking at a brand called "MURATA GIRLS". It is a Japanese brand based on the concept of wearing golf wear in everyday life. The brand has a casual Bespoke feel and seems to be made from old fabrics, but it was also quite cool.
I see that you have been to the Rose Bowl, a mecca for vintage clothing.
Kaneko:I couldn't find anything, but a guy from Massachusetts had a lot of dead stock, so I was able to make a big turnaround at the end. It was worth the trip.
Kaneko-san's shopping Part 2
New uniforms from TACOBELL found at a flea market in LA.
I bought this post-dyed shirt because I liked the damaged look.
Photo book purchased at "Ron Herman" in LA, available on Amazon. Especially the left one is a must-see.
American-made "Vans" purchased at a market in LA. He buys them anyway, as long as they are made in the U.S.A. and fit his size. The mood is totally different.
Kaneko:At the end of this buying trip, I met a Disney collector who told me that this guy was incredibly rich and that everything in his house was for sale. So I went over and found a patch.
You mentioned earlier about the long-distance truck culture.
Kaneko:That's right. It was very cute and there was a ridiculous amount of it, but we bought that too. We were talking as if there were already buyers, but they wouldn't notice even if we pulled out a few things (laughs). (Laughs) That's how we were able to successfully complete this buying.
