ABOUT ESSENTIAL ITEMS Vol.01
A very personal staple used by that hip person.

Kobayashi:. As you can see, I don't wear items that are full of design elements. I prefer Ivy-inspired items, so I would say that my standard items are along those lines. For example, button-down shirts, chinos, and sweatshirts. While the base is there, I often choose items with a twist.

Kobayashi:Apart from that, what I envy about human things is that they can't be bought "hanging. In short, I tend to be attracted to things that are not sold in stores in their original state.

Kobayashi:Yes, that's right. When I was young, I used to work at photographer Toru Kogure's house as a kind of houseboy, and when he was away on location overseas, I would take advantage of his absence to show him my wardrobe in his closet, and I was inspired in many ways. She didn't have any hanging items, but only ethnic costumes and second-hand clothes that she bought on location.

Kobayashi:The wardrobe that was shown to me when I was young is still a fundamental part of my fashion 40 years after that time.

Kobayashi:This is exactly the kind of belt that was found in many of Mr. Kogure's closets, and which used to be sold as souvenirs from Switzerland and other places. The collars and leashes of Mr. Kogure's shepherds were all designed like this. . Maybe if you search for "Swiss belts" you can find them.

Kobayashi:I looked for it when I went to Europe for the first time and finally found it when I was about 22 years old . After I got it, I was still looking at Kogure-san's and wanting more, so he gave me this belt and pouch (rightmost photo) saying, "If you want it so badly, I'll give it to you.

Kobayashi:At the time, they were sold at airport kiosks in Switzerland, along with cowbells and such, but that was in the 90's, so you might not be able to find them now. Except for the first one I bought locally, I bought all the others I could find on "e-bay" and the like. I've always been attracted to this belt, and it's still a staple that I use every day.

Kobayashi:It's a whole other level of quality in the fashion sense of the word.... The metal plates of cows and cowherds are individually riveted, and since it is a belt, it is interesting that it is slightly curved to conform to the body. . It was definitely this belt that ignited a fire in me, like my mountain hobby.

Kobayashi:Mr. Kogure's everyday style was the first time I was exposed to the idyllic atmosphere of so-called mountain-side items (Tyrolean shoes and vests) from cultures such as France, Switzerland, and Northern Italy. So the influence of Mr. Kogure, including the transition from "General Research" to "Mountain Research," was stimulating and important to me.

Kobayashi:Yes, I agree. These are more along the lines of the Ivy's I mentioned earlier, and I feel like they are my go-to pair with BD shirts and sweaters. I wear the shorts all summer long, and the long ones in the spring and fall.

Kobayashi:. Every time they get ripped or broken, more and more patches are added on top of them, and this is the look I got. Each time the patchwork is added, they become heavier and heavier, but they also become softer and easier to wear because they have been worn for so many years.

Kobayashi:Every year, I have a period of time to send it in for repairs. When they come back, they look a little different. It's one of the items that I renew annually.

Kobayashi:I like the look of things that have been maintained and repaired over time , don't you?

Kobayashi:Yes, that's right. They are a rock band called "PHISH" from the U.S. I got hooked on them after I saw them live at a concert in Hibiya, Tokyo in 2000. . I also enjoyed the all-camp-in concert in the US. We drove for about 8 hours from Boston through the woods in Maine and arrived at an unused Air Force airstrip. There were 40,000 people camping on the two airstrips there. I bought a T-shirt there, and that's how I started collecting T-shirts.

Kobayashi:The band's T-shirt has the "PHISH" logo, of course, but the graphic motifs on the T-shirt are temporary toilets at the venue, or the vacuum cleaner that drummer John Fishman is known for performing with, etc. It's a great design that people who know what they are talking about can understand. It's great that the design is recognizable to those who know what they're talking about.

Kobayashi:It says the body is organic cotton, but I wonder what that actually means...? But "PHISH" was the first time I saw a band T that claimed to be made of organic material. . I remember being greatly impressed by the hippie-ism I felt on my own.

Kobayashi:. I take good care of my T-shirts by washing and drying them, and I love the chinos and shorts I mentioned earlier by doing repairs to them. . Even my belts are regularly oiled, rather than just left on and left alone. I think it's the things that have become tired and worn out through repeated maintenance that make my heart flutter. Nothing can replace it, and I guess these things become "my staples" within myself.