I don't think it's a combination that should not be done (laughs).
I think that to take such an editorial approach, it is necessary to accumulate a vast amount of knowledge and information. . I guess that is where your experience with "BEAMS PLUS" and "BEAMS" comes in, isn't it?
Nakata:. It was very significant for me to be able to participate in the launch of "BEAMS PLUS". . Because I was able to learn about the roots of various types of clothing. Until then, fashion had been about making yourself look cool, but at "BEAMS PLUS" I was able to research how such clothes came about and apply that knowledge to manufacturing. I think that is where the foundation of clothing culture for me was laid.
Later, I became a director at BEAMS, where I was able to express to the fullest extent the mixed culture of the 90s, which had a great influence on me.
At BEAMS PLUS, I was able to build a foundation for myself, and I think I learned the fun of arranging and editing, and how to change ideas in surprising ways at BEAMS. I think that "Unlikely" is a combination of these two, but I don't think it should be a combination (laughs). (Laughs.) But I think I was able to do it because I had the opportunity to work as the director of each of them.
So you mixed up the "don't mix, don't mix, don't mix" (laughs).
Nakata:Yes, it is. But it tastes so much better (laughs).
You resigned from BEAMS in March of this year, and a month before that, you published a book titled "Unlikely Things. Is that book also related to this brand?
Nakata:There is a lot of the original story of "Unlikely" in here. When the staff asked me, "Why don't you publish a book?" I had already made up my mind to quit when the staff asked me, "Why don't you publish a book? But I hadn't told the company yet. So it was very awkward, and at first I refused. However, I thought it would be good if I could convey the idea of BEAMS to the new staff and customers who would be joining the company, and I decided to write a book that would be a kind of culmination of my 22 years of work, or a graduation thesis.
. But you hadn't told them that you were quitting yet.
Nakata:Yes, that's right. I told them while I was making the book. I decided to title the book "Unlikely Things," and that was when I was able to verbalize what I wanted to do.
I see.
Nakata:However, I was very conflicted about the fact that the title of the book was linked to the brand name. At that time, I talked to a senior staff member of BEAMS, and he said, "No one cares about that. The president of the company would definitely support me. When I actually talked to the president, he really supported me. The book seemed backward at first, but in the end it pushed me forward, and I felt a renewed sense of indebtedness to BEAMS.
