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FEATURE|HARAJUKU IS NOT DEAD.

A store called "FAN" advocates early impulsive fashion.

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The store "FAN" is directed by Shunsuke Mori, a well-known presence on the Huinamu blog, who is also a stylist and freelance PR specialist. While "Offshore," which we introduced earlier, is located in "Ura-Harajuku," "FAN" is located in the middle of Ura-Harajuku. In addition to avant-garde brands such as "ALLMOSTBLACK" and "ACRONYM," the store also offers classic brands such as "ANATOMICA" and "Nemen" in its open space.

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."We don't buy items because they "look good" or "are popular right now. What we collect here are items from brands we admire. We are not buying clothes because they are popular, or because they are popular right now. That's why I used to go to select stores in the past. That's why I frequented them and thought fashion was fun. That's the kind of store I want FUN to be.

Mr. Mori says so with passion in his words. Clothes that electrify you the moment you pick them up. Mori values such initial impulse.

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New items by "now × sho kurashina" made of rayon with a motif of the pajamas worn by Kurt Cobain

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All Most Black" stands out from the many unique brands lined up at "Fun". This is a specially ordered big silhouette cut and sewn garment.

."In the early 2000s, I was a university student and visited Harajuku everyday. There was freedom in this town. Fashion that would have been out of place in Shibuya or Shinjuku was allowed in Harajuku. So many people stood out, and I would look at them and think, "Wow, that's amazing! I thought, "Wow, that's amazing! The same was true of the clothing stores. All the stores were offering originality, and there were stores that were a mixture of various genres. That was cool to my eyes.

The Harajuku of the past as seen by Mr. Mori. It was a world full of diversity and a variety of styles.

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Next to the racks of "Acronium" and "Nemen" is a trousseau of street-style outfits. This sense of mixing and matching is the essence of "Fun.

."As was the case with people walking around Harajuku at the time, one of my identities was to not wear the same clothes as others. Where did you get that dress? I was proud to be told, "Where did you get that dress? I was happy and proud to be told "Where did you get that dress? But nowadays, I think that kind of conversation is decreasing. Everyone wears the same clothes, and the way they wear them is the same. That is why stores need to make unique proposals. I want to surprise people by stocking brands that no one knows about.

In addition to those brands, "Fun" also offers used clothing as well.

."Rather than just using brand-new clothes, it is better to mix in old clothes to add depth to the style, and I myself often receive compliments when I dress in such a way. I have an innocent mind that I don't want to dress in a one-size-fits-all way (laughs). (Laughs.) At "Fun," we have vintage clothes as well as regular vintage clothes. I hope this store will be a gateway for people who don't usually wear vintage clothes.

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While up-and-coming brands line the shelves, the store also carries authentic, regular vintage clothing. These are B.D. shirts, the American classic.

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Skate T's from the 90's onward are in the spotlight. Nostalgic brands such as "Blind" and "Alien Workshop" are all here.

As Mr. Mori says, he does not want to dress in a one-size-fits-all fashion, but to express fashion freely, breaking down the boundaries of genres. This is the identity of Harajuku, and it is also one of the things that Mori hopes to convey through "Fun.

."Nowadays, many people are bound by the word "genre. But I think, "What is a genre? I think, "What is a genre? We look at clothes in a more flat way, without prejudice. For example, we can take Anatomica's clothes and put them into a street style, or we can match them with mode clothes. In this way, we try to convey the freedom of how to dress in "FUN.

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In the way he conveys his message, Mr. Mori, who has lived through the prosperous Harajuku area, has his own specialties. In closing, Mr. Mori had this to say.

."We live in an online age now, don't we? If you want to gather information, you can find it in any number of places, and you can easily shop around. But we don't want to rely on such tools. If we did that, there would be no point in opening the store. Of course, we intend to do what is necessary. But that's just the minimum. Our heart is in the actual store. That's why we have staff with unique personalities. In the olden days, stores had people who were famous for their work. Of course, there are people like that today, but I think they should have more individuality. All of our staff members have their own opinions about fashion, and they know how to communicate them well. They know things that you can't find on the Internet. (Laughs.) Talking with the staff at the store is one of the best parts of the shopping experience. It's a very analog thing, but we want to value it.

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Shunsuke Mori / Director, FAN
Born in 1987 in Niigata Prefecture. She started working as a sales representative at a select store in Harajuku when she was a university student, and later became involved in apparel planning, production, and PR, etc. In 2015, she became independent and became involved in PR and direction of brands as a freelancer, while also working as a stylist and in a wide range of other activities. In March of this year, she opened the select store FAN.

."Three philosophies form the "FAN".

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PHILOSOPHY OF FAN_01 "STAFF

."When I decided to create this store, I wanted to staff it with people who were cool, good at serving customers, and attractive from a human standpoint. At that time, I approached Mr. Ito (right), who used to be the director of another store. He has an excellent sense of balance and a good sense of how to get close to customers. He also has a cool style. He is actually a rapper and performs live. Sakamoto (left), on the other hand, comes from a vintage clothing store background, so he has a wealth of knowledge. He is the one who buys the used clothes in our shop. However, he can look at both new and used clothes without prejudice, and he offers a reasonable style.

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PHILOSOPHY OF FAN_02 "ROMAN

."I think fashion is romantic. As I mentioned earlier, I want to wear clothes that attract me unconditionally. For example, the clothes we have at home are like "All Most Black" and "Acronium. Before I think, "How am I going to wear this? Even if they are expensive, my desire to wear them will win out over my desire to wear them.

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PHILOSOPHY OF FAN_03 "GENUINE ARTICLE

."While we mainly deal in romantic clothes, we also have timeless clothes that will never fade away. We call such items "authentic. For example, "Anatomica," "Nemen," and vintage "Levi's®" are examples of such items. In any case, we don't want to be all-encompassing. We want to combine "romance" with "authenticity" and offer a wide range of free suggestions.

My impression of Huinamu-like "fans".

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Mr. Mori is an honest and innocent person. These two are contradictory qualities, but listening to Mr. Mori's story, I began to think that they may be two sides of the same coin. He reacts like a child to what he thinks is cool, but at the same time, he does not digest trends and looks at them from an oblique angle. He was always against imitations, but pursued his own originality. Fan" is a store that reflects this attitude of Mr. Mori. As he said at the beginning of his talk, he does not select items to "sell. That is why it is unique and has a one-of-a-kind presence. It is no exaggeration to say that "Fan" has a rare existence in today's fashion scene, where uniform clothes, uniform styles, and uniform proposals are being offered.

FAN
Address: 102 Jingumae Square, 3-22-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-6447-4566
Hours of operation: 12:00 - 20:00
Closed: No regular holidays
instagram.com/fan_harajuku

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