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(Edo period) civil engineering schoolIn my early 20s, I worked in sales at a store called "Propeller" and an overseas collection brand, and after that, I launched my own brand with a friend. After working with that brand for several years, I worked in sales for a domestic brand before joining my current company and working as an assistant designer for "non-native" for 10 years. I am now working as an assistant designer forYSTRDY'S TMRRWI work as a designer for the "K" brand.

(Edo period) civil engineering school. I have always loved vintage clothing. When I was in high school in the 1990s, there was a vintage clothing boom in the world, and I was very much influenced by it. I wanted to work in a vintage clothing store, and I sent out several resumes, but none of them accepted me because I was too old to work there. I gave up on thrift stores early on, and ended up working part-time in a warehouse for a company that handled several American brands. However, the American brands were street-style, and as a vintage clothing lover myself, I couldn't help but want to deal in American casual clothing. That is why I decided to go with Propeller.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolIt was while working at Propeller that I knew I wanted to be a designer. It was the early 2000s when I was working at the store. It was during the height of the Urahara boom, and I received an invitation to a runway show at the store. The manager told me that a former staff member was working as a designer for the brand and that I should go see the show because it would be a good learning experience, and I did. He told me to go and see the show, saying that it would be a good learning experience for me. I was impressed and at the same time I wanted to be like him.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolYes, I did. But I had no expertise in making clothes, and I needed to learn more about fashion. In order to further broaden my knowledge, I joined an American collection brand as a store staff member. Of course, I had to wear the brand's clothes all over when I stood in the store, but I wanted to look cool and coordinated, so I ignored the rules for the time being and just stood there mixing and matching vintage clothes (laughs).

The brand was very popular at the time, and I met a lot of people there. There were many customers in the fashion industry, and I got to know many people there. I became friends with Taka-san (Takayuki Fujii, Non-Native designer) of "Non-Native" at that time. I knew him before, but it was around that time that we started talking a lot.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolHe was a very fashionable person and stood out in my mind. I think it was around the time when he had just started Non-Native, and when I went to an exhibition, every item was really cool. That inspired me to want to become a designer again. Looking back, those encounters were a turning point for me.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolI was able to learn about fashion, but since I was in the store, I had no idea about making specific clothes. However, my desire to become a designer was growing, so I decided to do it myself. So I made and sold T-shirts with a childhood friend of mine, and they were unexpectedly well received. When I told this to another friend, he said, "Well, I'll support you, so why don't you try working as a designer? I signed contracts with several companies and started designing accessories and other items. At the same time, I started a brand with him.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolNot really. Looking back now, I think I was young and tenuous. The brand did well at first, but it did not last long. I thought that all I needed to do was design, so I just made clothes and that was it. What is important for a designer is to look carefully at the kind of people who will buy the clothes, but I didn't do that. The brand was going downhill, and the contracted companies stopped giving me work, and I realized that this was not good. I was in a good mood, but I was also in a bad mood, and I experienced a setback.

(Edo period) civil engineering school. I decided to leave that brand and start over from scratch somewhere else. . I still had the desire to design clothes, so I decided to work for a Japanese brand and study manufacturing thoroughly.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolYes . They were making things with the smell of old clothes in the background, and that was really cool. When I sent in my resume, I was told that there were only openings in sales, but I decided to join the company with the faint hope that I might be able to enter the planning field from the sales position. In the end, I think that was a good thing. . My boss at that time was a strict man, and he taught me what branding was, and I was able to go to overseas exhibitions and learn a lot. He taught me what branding was, and I was able to go to overseas exhibitions and learn a lot. I learned a lot from the various professionals in the office. But on the other hand, I was very busy. Every day I felt like I was in a panic and lost sight of my goals.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolOne day, I got a call from Taka-san. Wanna go out for dinner? He asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner. While we were talking about various things, he invited me to make clothes with him at his company. I saw this as a chance to become a designer and decided to join "non-native.

(Edo period) civil engineering school. Taka himself, right? . In other words, a brand run by someone who thinks he is cool. I thought that the clothes were in his blood. I could see your charm as a person in your clothes.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolIt made me realize how bad I was (laughs). (laughs). I felt like he brought out everything that was wrong with me. I know you want to make cool clothes, but that is all just one-sided expression. He also told me that "Non-Native" is a brand that is made by everyone and that a one-man operation would not work. But I didn't understand that at all. I thought, "If it's cool, why not do it?

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolI was feeling that way, and one day he said, "Do you remember how you felt when you were a salesperson?" He said to me, "Remember how you felt when you were a salesperson? He said, "Back then, you were more into clothes, communicating and doing your best, right? Why don't you go back to the basics and stand as a vendor? He said, "Why don't you go back to your roots and stand as a 'vendor. So I found the right time and decided to stand in the store.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolWhen I actually served customers, I realized how one-sided I had been making things. I realized that there was a gap between what I was making and what customers wanted to wear. I finally understood the meaning of "a brand that everyone is working on together. From then on, the design process went smoothly. I had been working with Taka-san for 10 years, but it took us more than 3 years to reach that point.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolYes . I learned firsthand the importance of communication. Of course, this is true between designers, but you also need to build a strong relationship with the store and sales staff. If you don't have everyone's approval, you won't have the customer's approval either. We have to make them feel that we will promote the clothes they have worked so hard to create. That is how a brand moves forward. That is how I was able to work as an assistant designer for 10 years.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolI had always wanted to start my own brand, so about two years ago I approached Mr. Taka about creating a new brand, but the timing was not right at that time, so the idea was dropped. About a year later, I was suddenly asked to try it. This time, I was done with being a non-native speaker! . Like that. . It was just when the Fall/Winter 2016 exhibition was over.

(Edo period) civil engineering school. It seems that Taka had been thinking about it a lot. After I first suggested to him that I wanted to start a brand, I suggested that I wanted to make my own T-shirts, and I think that may have been a trigger for him.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolNo, not at all . So first of all, I thought, "What kind of clothes do I want to make? I thought, "What kind of clothes do I want to make? . I came to the conclusion that it was absolutely necessary to incorporate elements of what I liked. I also realized that I needed to create something different from "non-native" clothes. So, I went to Los Angeles to take a fresh look at vintage clothing, which is where I started.

Once again, I went around the Rose Bowl thrifts and dealers. It was like looking at old clothes and searching for a story. . I was able to capture some kind of outline.

(Edo period) civil engineering schoolWhat I like about myself is the American, carefree style. It's like a holiday look, but without the effort. . I wanted to incorporate that feeling into my fashion. I wanted to incorporate that feeling into my fashion. In other words, it overlaps with the mood of fashion I liked when I was in high school in the 1990s. I reflected this in the collection I am releasing this time, while thinking back to those days.